Phoenix Call
by QueenBattousai
Summary: I'm putting this story back up after some revisions to make it easier to read for those who haven't read it yet. Thank me later. *COMPLETE*
1. Prologue

Phoenix Call By Erin Prazan  
  
Prologue  
  
The day had been cold and windy. A girl walked down the street, clutching her cloak. Her name was Shannon Prazan, a girl almost unwanted by her mother before she was born, but fell in love with the idea of having a child soon after she found out that she was pregnant.  
  
Shannon was running along the sidewalk, running toward a large building in the middle of the island that her mother ruled over. Silver Stallion Island was a peaceful place untouched by evil, a sacred place almost. Her mother, Miss Erin Prazan, had ruled the island for 10 years almost, from the month she herself killed the most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden.  
  
As Shannon dashed down the street, huffing and puffing, she began to remember that her father was visiting that Christmas. Her father worked as a teacher at a wizarding school in England. The school was called Hogwarts, a huge castle that was twice the size of her mother's mansion. Shannon couldn't wait to go there so she could be at her father's side all year instead of only the summer months.  
  
* * *  
  
A woman looked out of the wall sized window in her office. The woman had waist length light brown hair, light tan skin, and blue eyes that almost shone like the moon itself. Her eyes scanned the sidewalk, looking for her 8 year old daughter, Shannon.  
  
The woman's name was Erin. She had ruled this island for years, protecting the citizens from harms way. She turned her head toward the nearest wall. Pictures from years passed lined the walls, bringing back such sweet memories. She turned her head back toward the street. There, on the sidewalk, was Shannon. The sun was shining in her jet black hair and her blue eyes like her mother's shined happily when she came closer to the building. "There she is." Said Erin in relief, "I was wondering what took her so long."  
  
* * *  
  
Shannon happily slowed to a stop in front of the gilded doors of Wizard's Inc., the building where her mother worked. She stood a minute to catch her breathe, and then pushed the doors open. A burst of noise from workers filled her ears as Shannon stepped in to the building. "Hi, looking for your mother, Shannon?" Asked the friendly receptionist, Mecca Mewtwo 1, an android that her mother had built.  
  
"Yep, is she in her office, Mecca?" MM1 nodded and pointed to a marble stairway leading up toward the second floor. "Thank You." Said Shannon as she made her way toward the stairs. Waiting at the top of the stairs was her mother, Erin. *I was wondering when you would be here.* Came a voice inside her head. (Her mother had the power to speak telepathically, a power that Shannon inherited.)  
  
*Sorry it took me so long, I was on the phone with Papa before I got to leave.*  
  
*How in the world could your father talk to you on the phone when he's at Hogwarts?* Asked Erin as Shannon made her way to the top of the stairs.  
  
Shannon replied verbally, "He was calling me from a town in the Muggle world. He said he might be late getting here before Christmas."  
  
"How come?" Erin asked as they walked toward Erin's office. "He said that it was top secret, something about Lord Voldemort."  
  
*Figures.* Thought Erin as they entered the room. Shannon pulled off her backpack and pulled out some sandwiches and small bags of chips. Erin opened a small refrigerator in the corner of her office, grabbing some sodas.  
  
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Shannon spoke. "Mama, can you tell me the story." Erin looked at her daughter in mock amazement. "Shannon, you practically have that story memorized. Why on Earth do you want me to keep telling it?" Shannon smiled. "Because you tell it so well Mama." Erin smiled at her oldest daughter, took a breathe, and began. 


	2. The News

Chapter 1 The News  
  
The air had been wonderful all spring. School was over and the Sun was shining as I made my way to the car. The school year had been OK considering I was moving on to 9th Grade. My friends had plans to go to the mall that afternoon to celebrate; I had told them that I would meet them later. My mother and I were going to Burger King for our traditional End of the School Year lunch.  
  
The day was absolutely perfect. But unknown to us, a dark, evil man was watching me and my mother at that very moment on a screen. "Is that her?" asked one of his minions.  
  
The man smiled. "Yes, we strike in 3 days, no more, no less."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
* * *  
  
My mother was ordering our lunch as I went to go find a place to sit. I had chosen a booth in the back and was sitting down when someone called, "Hey, Razan." I turned slowly around to see two boys from my school walking towards me.  
  
"Yes, my I help you Tyler." I said turning to a short boy with long brown hair.  
  
"Yeah, you can get out of my seat." I looked down at the table. It was clean and spotless; it looked as though no one had sat there before me.  
  
"I see nothing of yours here, so buzz off."  
  
"Hey, I believe I asked you to move Razan." I rolled my eyes; they still think that bugs me. I decided to match their rudeness with humor.  
  
"Okay first give me back my jacket." The boys took a step back from me.  
  
"What?" They said in unison as Mom started to snicker.  
  
"You heard me give me back my jacket. You have my jacket now give it back." They looked horrified.  
  
"You're crazy; we're getting out of here." As they stalked off, Mom took a seat in front of me.  
  
"How in the world did you get them to leave you alone?"  
  
I smiled. "Simple," I said, "I started arguing about something else. I got it off of Comedy Central Presents. Just start arguing about something else, they'll think you're insane and leave." Mom laughed and bit into her Whopper Jr. I sat back and bit into my Whopper. Life tasted so good.  
  
* * *  
  
I trooped up the escalator, looking for the store I knew my friends would be in. I found it only after a few minutes. New Realities, a store for the mind, body and soul. They sold every thing there. From yoga and message books, to incense and their holders, Ming tea, Egyptian statues, and dragons of every shape and color. It was our favorite store. We would just browse around, looking at the items.  
  
In the back stood my friends. Chris was 14 and a huge Spiritualist. She had long brown hair and light brown eyes. Ruth was short with shoulder length dark brown hair and yellowish-brown eyes. Brittany was tall and skinny with dark brown hair, dark skin, and a love for swimming. Michelle was tall like Sarah (An ex-friend of mine) with long dark brown hair like Ruth's and an athletic build like Brittany. I waved and started toward them. "Hi, Erin." Said Ruth as I made my way through the crowd.  
  
"Hi guys how was lunch?"  
  
"Fine," answered Chris as the crowd began to disperse, "how was yours?"  
  
I sighed. "It was fine, until Tyler Podony and his friend Nathan Hiller came and tried to take our booth. I scared him off by arguing with him about something else." We laughed and looked around the store for about 20 minutes before going to Babbage's to get some Pokemon cards and so I could get a Zoid model.  
  
When we entered, I noticed my friend Brandon in the far corner, reading a magazine. After I bought the model and cards I went over and said hi. Brandon turned around to face me. "Oh hey Erin, how have you been?"  
  
"Fine just dandy. Hey Brandon why aren't you answering any of my calls?"  
  
Brandon looked at me with a surprised look on his face and smiled. "Didn't have the time. Sorry."  
  
"That's OK." We talked for a bit while Chris was buying a new video game.  
  
"Hey Erin, quit flirting and get over here. You're turning into Sarah." Called Michelle as the girls headed to the door. "See you later Brandon." I said as I made my way to the door.  
  
* * *  
  
I leaned back on Chris' bed that night, totally exhausted. We had gone shopping, went to a movie, went to Warehouse Music and got some CD's, and went and had dinner in the mall food court. Now we were all over at Chris' house having a slumber party. I sat and watched the others play Super Smash Bros. Melee; I began to think about my online friends, Mystical and Lizzie.  
  
After hesitating for a moment, I asked Chris if I could use her computer real quick. She nodded and I began to log on to the Harry Potter Chat rooms. Man, I hope that Lizzie and Mystical are on. I prayed to myself as I began creating a new topic. After posting, I left the Gryffindor common room, and headed to another chat room. After about five minutes, I went back to my topic, and opened it. My eyes went wide with shock. There was a message from Mystical! I squealed with delight as I read her message.  
  
Erin, I have great news. I'm moving to Omaha! I'll be going to Millard North High School and will be living in a neighborhood called Harvey Oaks. Do you know where that is?  
  
I couldn't believe my eyes. Mystical is moving here! I typed my reply:  
  
Know were it is?!?!? I live there! Cool, huh? I'll see you on the first day school. I'll introduce you to my friends and show you around the town. See you later.  
  
The night was perfect in every way. My friend Mystical was moving to Omaha and I was with all my friends. Possibly nothing could go wrong. 


	3. Fight in the Night

Chapter 2 Fight in the Night  
  
It had been two days since Mystical's message. I was chatting with her on the computer when my mom came in with same bad news. "Erin the Washington trip has been canceled."  
  
My eyes widened in shock. "What happened?"  
  
My mom looked at me and replied, "All airplane companies have canceled all flights, bin Laden has been spotted in the States and the President said it would be safer for all school trips to Washington D.C. to be canceled just in case we have a repeat of September 11."  
  
I looked at Mom in frustration. How could they do this, well at least they had a good reason. Then another thought struck me. "Mom, what about the money we paid?"  
  
"It will be paid back to us in full within the next few days. Now stop worrying and chat with your friends." Mom turned and left the room. I sighed and told Mystical that I would talk to her later and turned off the computer. I went over to the window just in time to see a man dressed in black robes with jet black hair dashing across, as if he knew I was watching and ran to stay out of sight. I shrugged and turned from the window. The man was looking at me from behind a tree.  
  
* * *  
  
I stood washing dishes, the thought of not going to Washington weighing heavy in my mind. My dad who was walking past to get a drink looked at me and sighed. "Quit looking all depressed Erin it's not that bad. At least you don't have to worry about packing." I shot my dad an angry look and continued with my washing. I finished and went to watch Whose Line Is It Anyway? On Comedy Central.  
  
When Ryan Stiles was pretending to be a woman in labor, Mom came in and gave me some chocolate fudge. "This might help you." She said as I wolfed down the chocolate. Mom parted my hair with her fingers and left. What am I ever going to do without her? Little did I know how soon I would find out.  
  
Three men stood outside of a van that night looking at my house. The two younger men were speaking quietly in Arabic as their supposed leader watched the house for any sign of life inside. All of the lights were out inside, everyone was asleep.  
  
I was snuggled in bed, asleep and unaware of the danger that lurked outside. I was having the same dream I had for a few weeks now, always the same, except for the ending. The endings were always different. It started the same, I was in a beautiful forest, and unicorns were running and playing in the distance. The sun was shining on the trees, but they weren't the trees I knew.  
  
They had silverish- blue bark and the leaves were a beautiful shade of hunter green, much like the color of our carpet downstairs in the family room. Then all of a sudden, I found myself in a huge castle that looked as if it was made out of crystal flower petals. Hushed voices came from the back room, and then a strangled yell came from the room. "You what?!?!" came the voice as an uneasy clip clopping of hooves followed. "Mother, sometimes I wonder whose side you're on. I can't believe you engaged me to that stuck up colt, Lord Reagan, he cares only for himself and will only bring despair to this kingdom! He's absolutely terrible. He treats me like a weed!"  
  
A softer voice spoke. "Domino, dear please understand. He's the only prince in this kingdom you can marry. You're a princess, and the law says you have to be married to a prince by your next birthday. I'm sorry but I have no choice." With that, a clopping of hooves started toward the door. The door opened to reveal a unicorn.  
  
A magnificent creature with huge wings, a purple coat, and a purple spiraled horn perched on its forehead. As it passed me, it emitted a wonderful smell of lavenders that seemed to come from the creature itself. I turned back to the door, just in time to see a younger unicorn watch the elder one leave. It had a beautiful golden coat, huge wings, and a spiraled horn like the other except they were a light blonde. It had large blue eyes that were filled with tears. "Why Mothe.."  
  
A huge crashing noise came from downstairs, snapping me awake. "What in the?" I moaned as I sat up in bed. I reached for my glasses just as I heard a screech of pain echoing from downstairs. Instinctively, I grabbed for an aluminum bat next to my bed.  
  
I put on my glasses and went downstairs, the bat held out in front of me. I crept to the kitchen ready to attack, but when I reached it, a terrible scene met my gaze. Three men were standing over my parents who were gasping for breathe, pale as sheets. Just as I raised the bat to attack one the men, an older man turned and spotted me. He held a wand looking thing in his right hand, which he raised. "Crucio." Muttered the man as a wave of pain engulfed my body. I screamed for the torture to stop. "Are you through with your torture Miss Erin." came a harsh Arabic voice from behind a mask the old man was wearing. I nodded, gasping for air as the pain ebbed away. "Good, because now I can carry out my original plan to kill you."  
  
I looked at him with a horrified look on my face. "K.k.k.kill me?" I gasped as my brain tried to absorb this information. Why in all of people in the world to kill would he choose me? "Why am I so special?" I growled threatingly as he raised his wand again.  
  
"Because of what you are, an American and an enemy to my ancestor." He raised his wand, but just before he could utter the words, "Avada Kedavra", a man dressed in black robes leaped onto his back, trying to wrestle the wand from his hand. During the struggle the man in black was able to knock the old man's mask off, revealing his face.  
  
I screamed. "Osama bin Laden!" I cried out in shock as bin Laden yelled orders to his men. They obeyed his words without question, grabbing my parents and started to head for the door. "Noooooo!" I yelled as I ran after them. But they were quick, as one of them did a karate kick at me, hitting my head. The kick set me reeling, making my head hit the wall in the hallway, hard. I felt dizzy for a few seconds, and then I passed out, I knew no more. Before I passed out, I heard my mother crying for me, and the struggle still going on in the kitchen.  
  
* * *  
  
I didn't remember anything; barely all I remember was my mother screaming and the gasping and grunts from the kitchen. I woke up the next morning, my eyelids too heavy to open, and my head was throbbing in pain. I tried to lift my arms to rub my head; they felt like they had been made from lead.  
  
Soon my eyes opened, still feeling a bit heavy, but opened just the same. It took a few minutes for me to figure out that someone had removed my glasses and that I was lying in my blissfully comfortable bed. I painfully lifted myself onto my elbows, spotting the blurry image of a man at my computer, he seemed to be reading something on it and muttering to himself.  
  
I looked for my glasses on my bed side table and put them on, making his image sharper. It was the same man who had fought with bin Laden the night before, and he looked pretty beat up. He had a bandage on his head and on his hand. He had a shallow cut on his arm that was visible through a rip in his robe sleeve. He seemed to sense my gaze drilling into his neck, for he turned and looked at me.  
  
He had dark brown piercing eyes, greasy black, neck length hair, and pale skin. He was more beat up then I thought, for he had a black eye and a bloody nose and lip. "I see you're awake," he said in a deep, English sounding voice.  
  
"What happened?" I asked in a hoarse voice, with one thought in my mind, *Damn he looks familiar.*  
  
"When you passed out, bin Laden and I were flat out fighting, trying almost to kill each other. Finally he gave up and Apparated out of here." My eyes were wide open in shock, my mouth open wide. The man leaned back to enjoy the look on my face.  
  
I quickly snapped out of my trance, and without hesitation, asked him, "What's your name?" He looked at me in surprise, a look of disappointment on his face.  
  
After a few minutes he finally spoke, "I was hoping that you wouldn't ask me that, thinking you didn't need any information. I thought your brain couldn't handle it."  
  
I shot him a glance, "Oh just tell me already!" I snarled as he started to look uneasy.  
  
"Alright, alright, my name is Severus, Severus Snape." I just looked at him slacked jawed and bug eyed.  
  
"Your name is what now?"  
  
He laughed at my reaction and answered, "Severus Snape, and I told you wouldn't believe me."  
  
"Oh I believe you; I just don't believe I'm sane right now to take names in." He smiled.  
  
"Are you hungry?" My stomach growled, answering his question. "Okay, you might have to come down and help me; I'm not that great a cook." I agreed and painfully followed Snape downstairs.  
  
* * *  
  
I showed him how to work the toaster, which he seemed to get the gist of it, bagels are toasted on the bagel setting and toast on the toast setting. As I ate, Snape explained to me why he was in the neighborhood when he was and told me he had an eye and a sense for beautiful women. When I asked him what he meant, he said, "You cannot see, what's very clear to me."  
  
I rolled my eyes and replied, "Snape's a poet, I didn't know it." We both laughed and he explained. He could sense beautiful women like Brock on Pokemon, but he could also sense if the girl he was talking to would become a real looker. "Let me guess, you saw me and sensed that I would be really sexy looking."  
  
He nodded, "Plus, I was working for the Ministry of Magic back in London when I heard that bin Laden was in the States. I was sent to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, like do a repeat of 9/11. When I was walking down your street and saw you looking out your window, my sensors kicked in and I had to hide. I had the weirdest feeling that it was you he was after. Because not only did I sense you would be a real looker when you got older, but I sensed a stronger magic then my own. A real powerful magic." I just looked at him in shock, my half eaten bagel forgotten.  
  
"So he wanted to kill me because my magic was stronger then his own, he thought that I would be able to defeat him if he tried to take over the United States?" Snape nodded, looking very tired. "Why don't you go take a nap in the living room, I'll be in my room if you need me." He thanked me and lay down on the couch. I finished my now remembered bagel and headed upstairs to my room, sucking the cream cheese out of my braces. *Man I'll be glad when I get these things off.* I thought to myself as I turned on my computer.  
  
* * *  
  
It took me only a few minutes to log on to my E-mail and type in Chris' e- mail address when another thought kicked into my head. *I have magic! I can't believe I have magic!* I continued to type a message on the e-mail:  
  
Chris, I just snapped out of a coma that I was in all night. My parents got abducted by bin Laden and this guy (you'll never believe what his name is), saved my life. He's down stairs taking a nap right now. I had hit my head on the wall when one of bin Laden's men kicked me in the head knocking me out, but I need to talk to you in person to tell you the rest. Meet me at the mall at New Realities on Saturday and I'll tell you the whole story.  
  
Erin  
  
Satisfied with my message, I sent it and turned on the radio, low so I wouldn't get a migraine. As I sat listening to Linkin Park's "In the End" my computer beeped telling me that I had a message. I tuned on my Inbox and read.  
  
Erin, that is so scary! I'll meet you there at the mall. See ya.  
  
Chris  
  
I sighed happily to myself and leaned back as Britany Spears kicked on. The past six hours sure had been really weird, and it was soon to get even weirder. 


	4. The Dream

Chapter 3 The Dream  
  
*It's that dream again, but where are the unicorns?* My mind was working over time that night. Severus, as he had told me to call him, decided it would be safer for me if he stayed with me. He was asleep in the guest room next to mine when I went to bed that night.  
  
Now I was having that dream again, but the beginning was a little bit different. The moon was shining instead of the Sun, and the unicorns were sleeping in the fields. Then I found myself inside a huge Mayan castle that looked as if it was made out of gold. The pillars shone like gold ice and the stone walls were covered in Mayan paintings of hippogriffs, eagles, griffins, and people harvesting corn and beans. I felt my way along the dark corridor when all of a sudden I heard arguing voices coming from a large room just ahead of me. I opened the door to see what was going on.  
  
Inside I saw three people. Two were sitting on gold thrones looking very upset, even though their faces were in shadow. A young man stood on the floor in front of them. He had long gray hair, a gold crown perched on his head, and most bizarre of all he had large gray wings that were folded neatly on his back. The woman who was sitting on the smallest throne had long brown hair and dozens of gold bangles on her person. Large brown wings were sticking out from the sides of her throne, because they wouldn't fit behind her. The man at her side had short black hair and huge black wings. He wore a Lenin kilt like the young man in front of him but a much more grand of a crown.  
  
The king, as he must have been, spoke: "But why son? Why do you want to go on this mission for the gods? Earth is much too dangerous to a Titanis born and raised prince. You wouldn't last 5 minutes out there."  
  
The prince now spoke with much urgency in his voice, "But Father, the gods wouldn't have chosen me if they thought I wasn't up to it. Please Father, let me go. Are you forgetting that I can transform into anything as long as it has anything to do with any bird of pray. I can handle myself. I will stay as a hawk in the Muggle world and a hippogriff in the wizarding world."  
  
The King was silent for a few minutes as he pondered his answer. "Very well, you my go." He waved his hand and two young women came into the room. They were different from any girl I had ever seen. They had beautiful tan skin and long golden hair that hang to their waists. They carried long spears and shields.  
  
The King looked at his wife, she nodded and stood up. "Beaky dear, we are sending two guards with you. They will stay in the Forbidden Forest for ten years until Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts. Then they will keep an eye on him until you get there in any form you like. They will pose as students. Nobody will ever know they were gold nymphs."  
  
The Prince bowed and spoke, "Thank you, I won't let you down." He stood up and turned toward me to leave. It was then did I see his face. His skin was a light tan, his face was quite handsome, but it was his eyes that caught my attention. They didn't look human, but they looked as if they were taken from a hawk, a bright yellow with large black dots for pupils.  
  
* * *  
  
The room started to fade as the sunlight seeped into my room. I woke up with a groan. Another day, another time of absolute boredom. Severus had ordered me to stay in the house for three days tops and was a little skeptic about me meeting with Chris on Saturday.  
  
He had finally given in when I gave him the puppy look. "Please stop it, you're scaring me. OK, OK you can go." Severus said, frustrated that he had been beaten by some kid that was ten years younger then he.  
  
I heard him knock at the door, letting me know that it was time for breakfast. I groaned and yelled through the door, "Leave me alone. I don't eat this early in the morning." I had been right, it was 7:00 am, and in the summer I didn't eat breakfast until at least eight.  
  
"Okay, suit yourself." Severus called through the door. I made sure that his footsteps were downstairs before I got up and turned on the computer. I was hoping that Chris had sent me an E-mail, but knowing her she probably wouldn't be up at least until ten. I decided to go on to the Harry Potter Chat Rooms until I went downstairs, but to keep it safe I changed my clothes so Severus wouldn't bug me about it later. (One of his pet peeves was people coming down to breakfast with their pajamas on.)  
  
After about an hour, I went down stairs. But just as I reached the stairs, I heard voices in the kitchen. Severus seemed to be talking with someone. "Entei, how could Erin be the one you're looking for, I mean think about it. Erin absolutely has nothing in common with Prazanaznis, there's nothing in the world that can prove she's the one."  
  
There was a moment of silence, then a gruffer, dog sounding voice spoke, "You haven't been around her for very long, so how could you know. Plus I think you just want to deny it because in the two days you've been here, you've grown attached to her and don't want her to get hurt. Am I correct?"  
  
Another moment of silence, then. "Yes, it is true."  
  
"That is OK Severus, that's OK. But you know my duty. I'm to avenge the Black family for what bin Laden has done to Augustus and Lorelei Black. Killing Augustus when Sirius was only 16 and when he ordered the attacks on 9/11, killing Lorelei. I'm surprised that Sirius didn't go raving mad when James and Lily were killed by Voldemort one year earlier. But I am even more shocked when I heard that he was put in to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit." I sat in silence for a few minutes until Entei spoke yet again, "She's on the stairs."  
  
I heard Severus get up and approach the stairs. When reached them, he saw me and asked," How long have you been there?"  
  
I looked at him sadly and replied, "Long enough to hear that you cared for me. I thought you didn't like Muggle borns."  
  
He smiled. "You're an exception. Let's just say I was in love with a Muggle born once in my 5th year at Hogwarts." I smiled at him, but then as a surprise to him, I scowled.  
  
"You're speaking to someone named Entei. That's impossible, he's a Pokemon."  
  
Severus pondered his answer for a moment, looking into the kitchen. After a long pause, he spoke. "You're wrong in both categories. I was speaking to Entei but he left just now. And he is a Pokemon, but he and all the other Pokemon do exist."  
  
I looked at him in horror. "You mean Pokemon have been around and I didn't even know about it? But I thought that they only existed in television and movies." Severus nodded his head.  
  
"They do exist. And I just got some news. You will have a visitor tomorrow afternoon. Her name is Fawkes, and she has something to tell you, something very important. Now come downstairs and have some breakfast!" Severus scolded as I shook my head in amusement. I went to the kitchen and made breakfast even though I was still weak from Monday night. 


	5. The Unexpected Bush

Chapter 4 The Unexpected "Bush"  
  
The day went by as normal. I was even starting to recover from that fateful night in leaps and bounds. (No thanks to Severus' cooking). I had almost forgotten about Severus' conversation with Entei, but that didn't seem to bug me now. I was battling with another thought that had popped into my head. Was Entei talking about my beloved Sirius Black's parents? I asked my self as I cleaned the lunch dishes.  
  
I had been in love with the Harry Potter book character Sirius Black for ages, but I could hardly believe he was real. I had been battling myself if I should tell Severus about my crush on his worst enemy, but decided not to if Severus went absolutely ballistic on me. I decided it was safer for only my friends and my mother to know. The thought of my mother showed me how much I missed my parents, wondering if they were OK, or if bin Laden had killed them yet.  
  
At that thought, I shook my head violently, trying to get the thought of my head. I decided to just finish the dishes and go to my room to play internet pool. As I turned on my computer, Severus came into my room. He had a very solemn look on his face. "Erin, are you OK?" I turned to look at him, tears filling my eyes, for he reminded my of a younger version of my father, just with longer more greasy hair. He seemed to sense my very obvious sadness and that I really needed a hug right then, for he came up to me and gave me a huge fatherly hug. I was stunned. Of all the books I have read with Snape as a character, I have never heard of him hugging someone. I decided to humor him and hugged him back. After we parted, he offered to teach me some magic. I was so surprised you could have blown me over with a feather.  
  
"Sure!" I said finally, "When do we start?"  
  
He just smiled and replied, "Soon, but not now. I have to do some things first, then we'll start your lessons." With that he left, leaving me in a very happy mood. I'm going to learn magic! I was so happy I didn't even care about what the people were saying about me in the papers.  
  
There had been some stupid stories about me in the paper over the past few days since the break in. They seemed to pity me, but I could tell they only wanted to make me tell them the real story. There was one two days after the break in saying that bin Laden killed my parents and didn't think it would matter if I died or not, so he let me live on account I would have worse torture with my parents dead.  
  
And another this morning saying how that fruit set my house on fire, killing my hamsters and parents both and that I was on the streets living my life as some homeless has been. However, Severus and I knew better then to believe such pishposh crap that didn't really happen, but I did like the attention until it started to get out of hand.  
  
Adults came to me all day when I was out walking that morning simpering to me and saying I was welcome to stay at their house until a relative came to claim me. And every time this happened I had to explain that my parents weren't dead and I was already living with someone and for them to please leave me alone.  
  
Severus was a huge help (not with his cooking) with his choice of words when he was trying to cheer me up. I soon found out why he was saying about some "unfinished business". He had gone to court to claim himself as my legal guardian until I got my parents back. I was so pleased that I didn't have to face the court myself, for a lawyer came by with a doctor friend of his to see how I was doing living with Severus.  
  
He was very pleased to see me so happy living, that I was making an outstanding recovery from the attack, and that because Severus had saved me from bin Laden, he was more willing to let Severus to take responsibility as my legal guardian. And after the final verdict was made that afternoon, Severus kept his promise and told me would begin my magic lessons the next afternoon.  
  
* * *  
  
The rest for the day wasn't much fun because Severus had told me that I was to stay in the house for the rest of the afternoon. I was not at all pleased to hear this, as I got bored easily, I had quite a time keeping myself entertained. I was sitting on the coach just as bored as I was in the courtroom earlier in the afternoon. Severus was sitting in my mother's old white leather arm chair, reading a book. "I'm bored. I'm going up stairs to take a nap." I groaned as I got up.  
  
"Fine, just make sure it's not too long so you can't get to sleep tonight." Came his reply as I made my way to the stairs. As soon as I was in my room, I decided to talk with the only guy friend that I had total access to without sending an owl and calling him on the phone. His name was Xexon, my guardian spirit. He is always with me, but the only way to talk to him is two ways, with Ojai board and in a spirit realm called the astroplane.  
  
The astroplane was a huge black realm in which fanned off into different realms, in which you could enter through doors that were created to fit its owner. Mine looked like Washu's door from the show Tenchi. And as I knew quite well, there was only one way to enter the astroplane, you had to be relaxed, have your head clear, and think only of the astroplane. I leaned back on my bed and closed my eyes, my head clear of all thoughts.  
  
I found my self falling through the darkness and land with a loud thump on to the invisible walk way in the hallway of doors. Never ending blackness surrounded me as I stood up. Doors lined each side of the hallway, of every shape, size, and color. I started to walk down the hallway, looking for my door every now and then.  
  
Finally I was standing just outside of the Washu like door. I closed my astroprojection self eyes and turned the handle. The usual feeling of my eyes being sucked into my head and my head falling back told me I had made it to my realm. I closed the door and started to feel for a power source on any side of me.  
  
Then, at my left side, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Xexon, nice of you to join me." I said, opening my eyes to look into the deep brown eyes of my spirit. Xexon was tall and handsome. He wore black robes and knee high slick black leather boots. He had short black hair and the greatest smile that I had ever seen. He was more muscular then his Earthly look alike, my beloved Sirius Black.  
  
"Pleasure to see you to." He said in his usual sexy English accent. I thought I was just about to faint with happiness as I always did when he talked. But I kept my head and asked if we could sit somewhere. He nodded and we headed to a large rock that was part of my realm. My reality consisted of rivers, mountains, and huge fields like on Earth. But instead of horses grazing gin the background, a glory of unicorns stood watching as Xexon and I sat on a huge rock next to a flowing steam. After watching the unicorns a minute, Xexon and I started to talk about the things that had been going on since our last conversation.  
  
Xexon told me that Udmong, a rival to most of the people in my little posy, had a little run in which a Nagrom, a filthy creature that looked like a human that was half decayed. Udmong had started screaming like a school girl because he had forgotten his beloved sword on the pirate ship in which he captained. Xexon said Oran; the Nagrom keeper had broken out into a fit of hysterics when they found out who was screaming.  
  
I had just calmed down when a small crystal around Xexon's neck started to flash in a bright red light. Xexon noticed and told me it was best if I left now. I left without question, but still very confused. This was the first time Xexon told me to leave my own realm; he had always enjoyed my company and had always said he might try to become a solid human someday. I walked through the door, closed it and opened my eyes. The sucking feeling on the back of my eyes stopped as I looked around my room. It was six 'o' clock already and I knew Severus would have my head if I didn't have dinner ready by seven.  
  
I trudged down the stairs just to hear Severus' usual complaining of how lazy I was and how hungry he was as if he hadn't eaten in days. I rolled my eyes and told him to shut up; I was not in the mood being stuck in the house for four days. I went to the fridge to get some chicken when the door bell rang. Severus, the new "adult" in the house, went to answer it. After a few minutes of talking, Severus came to speak with me, but he wasn't alone. Walking into the kitchen was a man I had seen practically everywhere in the news. The lead man himself, President George W. Bush.  
  
I almost dropped the frozen chicken on my foot I was so surprised. He just smiled at me and once again began to talk to Severus. Coming back to my senses, I continued to cook dinner. But out of politeness, I went over to ask the president if would like to stay for dinner. He turned to me and happily accepted, with Severus curiously asking what was the look on my face all about. I went brick red at the sound of his voice and the tone he used. "Severus," I said quietly as I passed his chair, "quit asking questions and I'll tell you later." He nodded after a brief and stunned silence. I returned to my cooking.  
  
Just to cheer myself up after the uneventful day, I made my favorite chicken dish, praying to myself that the president liked chicken. After I served the dish, Severus told President Bush he was from England and was wondering where Bush was from. "I'm from Texas originally, but I moved to Washington D.C. over a year ago. I had to come to here to Omaha and stay at the Offit Air Force base after the September 11 terrorist attacks. I returned home later that night. It was very tragic that day. How did you come to Omaha in the first place, Cornelius didn't tell me the whole story when I was at a class reunion at Hogwarts a week ago." When I heard those last few words my head shot up in shock.  
  
"You're a wizard?"  
  
The president just looked at me and smiled. "Yes I am. And I am thoroughly shocked to hear that bin Laden is one himself. I do hope you don't come into any more contact with bin Laden in the future Miss. Prazan; I think it will be disastrous if you do."  
  
I nodded and finished my meal in silence. After the president left and I was watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? In the living room, Severus came at me with the same question he had before dinner. "What in the name of things still holy in this world was that look on your face tonight all about?"  
  
I just looked at him and replied calm as can be, "Because he is the President of the United States, Severus. He's our countries leader and it is a great honor to have him in our house hold." Severus was just plainly stunned. *My God he is practically surprised at everything I say these days isn't he?* I told myself as the shock in his eyes began to wear off.  
  
"Why in God's name didn't you tell me?" He asked finally after regaining his voice.  
  
"Because," I replied firmly, "I didn't want you to act stupid in front of him beings he's our leader and all, I didn't want you to leave a bad impression." He just sighed and went to bed early that night. I stayed downstairs for an hour or so before giving in to my tiredness, and went to bed. "It sure has been an eventful day." I told myself as I got changed. "I wonder what the next few days will bring." I didn't know what was going on with this President Bush and Severus buddy-buddy thing, but God damn it I was going to find out, the thought of a servant of Entei's coming to my house the next morning totally out of my head. 


	6. The Visitor from the Flame

Chapter 5 The Visitor from the Flame  
  
The next donned bright and sunny as I rose to the sound of Severus in the shower, singing at the top of his lungs. I covered my ears, happy that even though he was singing and had the grisliest voice I had ever heard, he was at least washing his hair. I had guessed that Severus only washed his hair every two or three days, beings it was so greasy.  
  
I smiled to myself and turned up the radio as high as I liked so I could drain out Severus' singing which was just as bad as his cooking. He was trying to sing "In the End" by linkin park and was doing a terrible job of it. I was terribly glad when a loud up beat song came on the radio and I dressed quickly so I would get downstairs so I didn't have to keep hearing his singing.  
  
I rushed downstairs to the basement where I knew it would be quite. I turned over to the Nintendo 64 in front of our old TV that used to be in our living room. I turned it on, hoping that I would be able to beat the Woodfall temple in my new Majora's Mask game I had gotten for a present from my parents for getting good grades. As I was battling Odolwa in record time for a beginner, Severus came down. "Why in the world did you have the radio on so high?" He asked irritably as I beat Odolwa in my Deku scrub form.  
  
"Because, I didn't think I could stand for anymore of your singing. I really think you should find something else to do in the shower." I laughed at the look on his face and went to save the Deku Princess.  
  
* * *  
  
I went up for lunch later that day to see Severus sleeping on the couch in the living room. I shook my head in bemusement and went to make my lunch. As I took the miniature pizza out of the microwave, Severus woke up with a groan. "You were sleeping because?" I asked sarcastically as he rose from the couch. He yawned and stretched.  
  
"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I took a nap. That's not a crime is it?" He asked, growling as I took out my silverware.  
  
"Quit being snippy and have some lunch." I snapped back as I sat down. "The only crime in this house of what you did was having a bad attitude when you get up, now if you'll excuse me my lunch is getting cold."  
  
* * *  
  
Severus and I didn't talk much during the day, both of us in a bad mood. As it turned out my reason for me was I had PMS and was starting to get temperamental. Severus was acting snippy because of lack of sleep. As it turned out, he couldn't sleep well for the past few days, having the same nightmare over and over again.  
  
I told him to tell me about the dream later that day when he came in to apologize. "Well," He said awkwardly, "Where do I begin. Well I would always be walking down a street of some kind, a large cobblestone street with no streetlights. There was a full moon out and there would be a wolf howling in the distance. The houses on either side of the street were dark and very spooky looking. Then, when I come to a barn at the edge of the town, I see a woman, a very spooky woman, looking at me with a grey hippogriff at her side. Then she turns and speaks to the hippogriff and would say the same thing.  
  
'Severus won't be happy that his girl Erin his hanging with that guy, what's his name again?'  
  
The hippogriff then replies with the man's name. 'Sirius Black' I would stare for a moment then I went inside, just to see you in adult form, making out with my greatest enemy!  
  
You would look at me and say 'I'm sorry Severus but it wasn't meant for me to be with you. My heart is with Sirius. I'm very sorry.' Then the dream will end and I would wake up panting and in a cold sweat." I just sat there not knowing what in God's name to say to him.  
  
"Well that's some story." I said finally as he looked at me with tears in his eyes. Then all of a sudden I remembered what he said about a woman in the story besides me. "Uh, Severus. What did that woman in your dream look like? You know the spooky one."  
  
"Well she had white hair that brought out the color in her cat like yellow eyes. I think the hippogriff said her name was Ryoko." My eyes just went wide with surprise.  
  
"R.R.R.Ryoko? She's a character on the Tenchi Muyo series. And you never even saw them and you're dreaming about her?" Severus went as white as chalk.  
  
"Yeah I guess I am. But I swear to God if these dreams are premonitions I am going to have Sirius' head." With that he left the room with sick thoughts coming into my mind.  
  
*Oh my gentle Jesus Severus has a crush on me? He's 24 and he's in love with a teenager at 14 that is just sick and wrong. I've even had a dream about him raping me and he has a crush on me? Oh Lord give me strength*. I thought as I decided to lie down and sleep off the shock.  
  
* * *  
  
The nap had been exactly what I needed. But when my body became conscience about my surroundings, I had a strange feeling that something was about to happen. I opened my eyes to see a ball of flame hover about 5 feet above the floor. I tried to scream but no sound came out. The ball hovered for a few moments longer and then took the shape of a large bird about the shape of a peacock and the size of a large swan.  
  
The flame slowly died away, revealing a beautiful scarlet and gold bird. It had a wing span of a golden eagle and easily looking like a cross between a swan, a peacock, and a Scarlet macaw. Its tail was made up of long gold feathers, same with the long feathers on its wings. A small tuft of gold feathers was on its head, set in between two sky blue eyes. Its body was covered in Scarlet feathers that glowed in the light coming from my window. "A phoenix!" I gasped as the bird landed on my bed.  
  
The phoenix hopped toward me and gazed in to my eyes. The phoenix opened its beak and spoke. "Hello, my name is Fawkes. I have come to speak to you. I am sorry if I frightened you, but you're probably not used to fire birds bursting in unannounced." The phoenix said in a surprisingly feminine voice.  
  
"Well I do remember Severus telling about you coming but I had no idea that you were a phoenix. I mean I have a very hard time believing in things these days." I croaked as Fawkes made herself comfortable on my pillow.  
  
"I know Severus has a habit of leaving out small tidbits of information, which means you have to learn when to read between the lines with him." Said Fawkes as I tried to get my heart beating to a steady pace, still in shock that I was having a conversation with a real phoenix.  
  
"Well I've only lived with him for a few days, so I still have to learn the ropes huh?" Fawkes nodded.  
  
"I've known Severus since he was a boy at Hogwarts so I can teach you how to live comfortably live with him. I remember him always coming to talk to me because his step father was treating him poorly, even his mother didn't want anything to do with him. It was a real shock to him when his sister passed away with an illness. Serena was the world to him, the only member of his family to care. I was with him during the funeral, comforting him. Finally I convinced Albus to let Severus live in the castle during the summer months. He ran errands and helped the janitor clean the castle so it was ready for students when the school year started. He was very happy but depressed when he had to leave. He got several odd jobs, but when Voldemort came into power, Severus was forced to join, waiting for the day when Voldemort would die so he could be free once again.  
  
"Finally, when Voldemort met his downfall with little Harry Potter, Severus finally fled. He fled from everything, happy to finally get away. When Entei and I finally found him, we found him a broken man. When he heard our proposal to help find the mystical Sages, beings more powerful then the gods, to help bring an end to the evil men Osama bin Laden and Lord Voldemort, he was more then willing to help. We promised him glory and peace to live with. We told him to find you, knowing who you were, where you lived, and who was after you at that exact moment. He came to America quickly as he could at our words, us telling him that Entei would check on you as soon as he could. It was a shock to find that bin Laden was attacking you the exact same day that Severus arrived in Omaha.  
  
"But what I'm rambling about Severus for? I need to tell you why I'm here in the first place. I am here on strict business, and I command you not to interrupt me, do you understand?" I nodded, wondering what Fawkes meant about Severus being unable to find peace within himself. But that was out of my mind when Fawkes started talking once more. "Now what I'm going to tell you might just shock you, so please, if you're going to freak out, please scream into a pillow." I nodded, but this time with a small smile on my face. She smiled back by pulling the leather like part of her beak up in a curl. "Now, where to begin? Ah, yes, it would be best if I told you a story. That way you could grasp my proposal a little better."  
  
OK, this is the first time I'm adding an author's note to a story. The next chapter is in Fawkes point of view, the only chapter that I don't tell. Well have fun.  
  
Red Phoenix 


	7. The Story of Princess Prazanaznis

Chapter 6 The Story of Princess Prazanaznis  
  
It was many eons ago. Ra the mother of all creation longed for children of her own, for she had no husband. She decided that if she created a world she would have a husband to love her. She created the Earth out of meteors that circled her heavenly home. She took the waters of Neptune and made rivers and oceans in the hollow areas on the surface of the new planet. Grass she took from another planet she had created called Jurai, she also took trees from the planet and planted them on Earth. Flowers soon sprung up by themselves soon afterwards. She created mountains that reached to the sky, and hills that were just as tall as the tallest tree. She wetted the soil and shaped them into humans, male, female, and animals.  
  
She gave them air and shelter, and in turn they worshipped her. But in the years that followed, she found herself becoming even more longing for a child. The people sensed her sadness and called upon their most powerful scribes and magicians. "We need to have or goddess, Ra, happy. She has been depressed for years for she has no children and no husband." Said the head villager as the scribes wrote down everything he said. They turned to the wise man that had just arrived. "Dear wise man, do you know how to make or goddess happy?" They pleaded as the old man sat down from exhaustion.  
  
"Yes I do." He croaked. "She may not notice, but she created us, therefore we are her children. For a husband, we must have the young men in our village go and court her for we cannot create people to love her like she can."  
  
* * *  
  
So it was done. Young men would go and court the beautiful goddess in hopes of being her king and become a god. Ra sensed this and would shun them away. Nothing they did made her happy, even when they told her that because she had created them, they were her children, for she still longed for a husband. This went on for years.  
  
The wise man had died, but before he went to the land of the dead he told them only those courting her who loved her for her beauty and her mind and were pure of heart would ever have a chance to become her husband. The families tried to plant this in their children's minds as they grew, but in vain they only loved her for her power.  
  
* * *  
  
Finally about three years after the Greek gods made their homes on Mount Olympus, a young man named Hotep Heresoto was walking down the road. He was young and clever, but also was madly in love with the great goddess. But because of all the shunned young men that had been looked down upon by Ra in the past he thought he wouldn't have a chance. But unknown to Heresoto, Ra was watching him from a large crystal ball. Hotep Heresoto was playing on his lyre and singing beautiful love songs about the great goddess and how he would never have a chance for her heart.  
  
Ra looked on as six young boys came up and started to taunt poor Heresoto. "You'll never have a chance." Laughed one of the boys as Heresoto continued to play, ignoring them as they teased and jeered. But Ra knew that there was something special about the boy that no other human possessed: love, real love for her. And deep down in her heart she found herself pitying the boy as he sat there on the rock next to the river, playing his lyre.  
  
Then one of the toughest and meanest of the boys came up and spoke in his oily voice, "Come on Heresoto, look at us when were speaking to you." But Heresoto just sat and played, not playing heed to the boys. "I guess I didn't make myself clear to you, but this might." And with that, the large boy punched Heresoto in the face. Heresoto landed on the ground, his eye blackening and his lip bleeding. Silent tears ran down his face as he got up and reached for his lyre. But the terrible boy was quicker, and with one swipe, he grabbed the lyre and smashed it against the rock on which Heresoto had been sitting earlier.  
  
Ra gasped, so this was what happened to the children that were spoiled and unloved, they tortured poor souls who actually have a dream of their own. But her sadness turned to anger as the boys laughed at poor Heresoto as he sobbed for his most beloved possession. With an angry cry she flew down to Earth on her large gold wings and landed on the rock. The boys screamed like school girls, making Ra, even Heresoto, laugh. The boys ran away screaming in to the village, making the entire town laugh at the girly boys.  
  
Heresoto continued to laugh, but stopped as Ra got off the rock and helped him to his feet. "Mother Ra why are you helping a poor boy like me with some bullies I have known all of my life?" Ra just smiled and picked up the smashed bits of his lyre. And with the uttering of a few sacred words, the lyre was perfect and whole once more. She handed the lyre back to Heresoto as he stared disbelieving at her. Ra continued to smile as she shrunk herself for her usual enormous size to about Heresoto's height. "Why are you helping me?" He asked again as Ra continued to smile at him.  
  
"Because," she said in her heavenly voice, "you showed me how true love should be. You have been in love with me for years haven't you?" Heresoto nodded. "Well, you have a heart of gold; you loved me for my beauty and mind, not my power. When you saw my statue when you were a boy of sixteen, you fell completely in love. You dreamed of me at night and you even ignored those terrible boys because you believed in your love. And now I shall reward you." And with that she leaned forward and kissed him. Heresoto stood there shocked, his body tense, but started to relax as Ra's hands caressed him. Slowly he kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
* * *  
  
They stood there for quite sometime, thinking of nothing but each other. Finally they parted their lips from each others, but they still held each other as Ra cradled her head in to the base of Heresoto's neck. Then Ra looked into his eyes, and spoke, "If you wish, you may be my husband. You will be one of the gods, as soon as I create them, with your help if you're willing. And you can be all powerful."  
  
Heresoto smiled at her and replied, "I will only marry you because I want to be with you always." Ra smiled and hugged him tighter and flapped her wings. Heresoto clutched onto her in fright, but Ra just smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm taking you to my castle were we will wed." Then huge silver wings shot out of Heresoto's back. He flapped them and joined Ra, flying toward her castle in the sky. When they reached it, they found the spirit of the old wise man waiting for them with a scroll of wedding verses in his hand.  
  
"I was wondering when you would be coming. Would you wish to wed now, or later?"  
  
Ra looked into Heresoto's eyes and asked, "What do you want?"  
  
He smiled and said, "Now."  
  
* * *  
  
So they were wed. They were very happy. Happier still when Ra became heavy with child. After nine months, she gave birth to not a human child, but to a child shaped like a horse. It had small fiery wings, mane, and tail. Its feet were made of onyx and were surrounded by feathers of flame. Its coat was soft as silk and was the color of sable brown. On its head was a red face mask and in between its eyes was a golden horn, that when you look at it from above it looked like a diamond. They did not shun it like most parents would have; instead they raised it and named it Entkou, which meant king of fire.  
  
Entkou became the pride if his parents as he grew. Finally he longed for siblings, begging his parents for play mates. They gave in and had another child in horse form. This one was more magnificent then Entkou. For her mane and tail shone as if they were spun out of sapphires, her wings were white with a metallic blue glow to them. Her white coat glowed as bright as the moon, and had small blue wings adorn her blue hooves. Her horn looked as if it was made of an icicle. But her eyes were her own, unlike her parents and her brother, who had almond colored eyes; her eyes were as blue as the sky above. Her powers over ice lead her parents to call her Icra, or Queen of Ice.  
  
* * *  
  
Icra and her brother grew very close, but when they returned from playing one day, their parents had some news. Ra was pregnant once more. This time, this child had the power over lightning and thunder. His wings sizzled with electricity, feathers razor like and streaked with black against yellow. His body was thick like a draft horse and was yellow and striped like a zebra. His thick, striped legs lead down to iron like hooves, His mane and tail were spiked and his horn was made of a metallic stone that glowed in the sun light. His cold eyes were gold and seemed to glow when the sun hit them. His parents called his Zapdash, which meant Lord of Thunder.  
  
* * *  
  
Zapdash didn't become very attached to his older brother. In fact they couldn't stand one another. Zapdash had become very jealous of his brothers immense power. He often sometimes thought of killing Entkou, but even he knew that this was impossible. Entkou didn't like his brothers stubbornness when it came to what game to play with their sister, Icra. Even after their new sister, Marinus, or Water Goddess, was born, Zapdash usually never agreed with his brother. They both had only two things they had in common, they loved to fight and they loved their sisters dearly. They would fight to the death if it meant that their sisters would be safe.  
  
But the years passed and two other children were born into the family. The first one was horse like, like her siblings. Her horn was a deep shade of green, her body a glowing white. Her wings and hooves were gold and her mane and tail were silver. Her parents were very pleased at this new arrival, that they called her Florindas, or Golden One. But they were worried that she wouldn't have any powers. But they found her powers out after their sixth child was born. Now this one came as a surprise. It was not horse like, instead it looked like an ordinary human child. They called her Prazanaznis, or Beautiful One. The sisters were jealous of Prazanaznis' beauty and grace and usually treated her poorly.  
  
* * *  
  
One day, Florindas was walking around on the banks of the Nile when she saw Prazanaznis playing with the silt and mud on the shore. "Dear sister what are you doing?" Asked Florindas as Prazanaznis continued to fiddle around.  
  
"I'm making you something sister. Minions if you will. But the problem is I want them to have some of the same abilities as you so they can serve you, but I do not know what they are. Can you tell me? I will make as many as you want." Florindas pondered this for a few minutes, but then nodded and told her young sister. "I have the power over the grass, trees and the mind. I can read their thoughts and make them do what I wanted them to. I am psychic you know. But how will you make these creations of yours move and live?"  
  
Prazanaznis just smiled and said, "You'll see." And continued with her work.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning when Florindas went on her morning walk, this time accompanied by her sisters, she heard strange noises coming from the shore where Prazanaznis was playing just the other day. When they went to investigate they found a dozen or so different unicorns playing on the soft mud. Prazanaznis was sleeping on a rock close by. The unicorns stopped moving and bowed deeply to the sisters. They stood in shock until Ra broke the silence. "Who made these beautiful creatures?" She asked as she landed next to her daughters.  
  
"Prazanaznis. I found her yesterday shaping them to be 'my minions' she said. I wonder why there are different types." At this a unicorn with a green coat, huge green wings and a dark coarse green mane and tail in twined with leaves stepped forward.  
  
"Because she could not make a type of unicorn with all the powers you told her about. So she made many different types, she even made minions for your sisters." He nodded to the group behind him. There were unicorns with blue scales and fins, ones with ice like horns and manes of ice crystals, ones with coats and eyes that were like the shine of the moon but and a strong force about them, and ones with the same get up as the young stallion that had spoken to them just now. They looked with disbelieving eyes as the creatures looked at them with adoring looks on their faces.  
  
Prazanaznis awoke to find her family standing and staring at the creatures. She smiled and whistled shrilly. A whole group of unicorns ran toward her, ones with bodies made of fire, ones with bodies surging with electricity, ones with manes made out of clouds, and ones that smelled as if they were rotting. The foul smelling ones stepped forward, their uncurled horns shined. Their pale pupil less eyes seemed to stare right through their souls. "Death Unicorns," said Prazanaznis, "they take the dead to the afterlife. Many a day do I see the dead walking to their finial destination. I decided to create a way for them to make it there quicker and less energy consuming. So I created them. The others are minions to you all."  
  
Her mother smiled, but with a sudden frown asked. "Dear, where are your minions?" Prazanaznis just smiled and said, "I do not need them yet, for I have no job. I will create my own when I have something for them to do."  
  
* * *  
  
Well after that, Prazanaznis became very close with her sisters. They usually could be found playing together at the bank were Prazanaznis made her creatures for her sisters. One day, while her sisters were away, Prazanaznis decided to make new creatures of her own. She found the black feathers of a hawk and the hind claws of a dead lion and started to sculpt. She made the front the front part of an eagle and covered it with feathers. Then she made the hind quarters that of a lion. She called it a gryphon, and named it Nighthawk. Nighthawk sprang to life when Prazanaznis said his name. His coat was as black as the night and his eyes glowed like the moon. Prazanaznis stroked his neck and he started to purr. "Thank you Mistress." He said in a deep voice.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For making me. I will serve you as long as you want." Prazanaznis smiled and hugged Nighthawk's neck.  
  
* * *  
  
Nighthawk became Prazanaznis' guardian and would not her out of his sight. But all that with his love for his master was just about to change. One day while Prazanaznis was walking with Nighthawk, a young strapping man about ten years older then Prazanaznis was walking down towards them. Prazanaznis recognized him immediately. It was Siriushotep, the son of Ra's Great nephew, Anubis. Siriushotep was walking with one of his brothers, a legendary dog Pokèmon named Raikou. Raikou was the dog of thunder and didn't like to fight much, even if his looks said otherwise. Siriushotep, like his father Anubis, was kind hearted and not at all like his grandfather, Seht.  
  
Seht was evil as a crocodile and sneaky as a snake. He usually liked to cheat his siblings and relatives in games of sport, but only if it included a money prize. But Prazanaznis knew better then to think of Siriushotep like that. She had met him at a party just a year before, and knew how kind he was. His father and mother, Khonsu, had raised him to be a righteous man of his noble birth and he never used it to his advantage.  
  
But when they raised their heads to say hello to one another, their eyes met, and they just stood there in a stupor. Nighthawk looked on confused as Hathor, the lion goddess of love giggled in the reeds on the bank of the Nile, Happy that her Matchmakers, unicorns that specialized in the uniting of hearts, had succeeded once more. Prazanaznis and Siriushotep just stood in shock as they looked into each others eyes. But Prazanaznis' heart knew she could not love him, for she was wed to a scribe named Snapamenhotep. Her husband married her for love, but Prazanaznis had her own misgivings about the marriage, as if she knew it wasn't going to work out.  
  
* * *  
  
So because of her unwanted marriage to the scribe, Prazanaznis and Siriushotep started to see each other every night when her husband would be asleep. They were deeply in love and they never missed a chance to be with one another. But one day, Prazanaznis heard that she would no longer be wed to her current husband for he wished to divorce her for he knew that she had been cheating on him but he did not tell her mother thank the Gods. So she left with her two daughters and was about to go claim her undying love to Siriushotep when her mother told her that she would marry yet another scribe, one of Siriushotep's brothers, Giovannamen.  
  
So Prazanaznis wed yet again, and had another girl. But the new marriage didn't stop her from seeing her beloved Siriushotep. But that too, was found out by her husband, and was promptly divorced. Finally her mother asked her why all the men she had Prazanaznis marry were leaving her. Prazanaznis had no choice to confess. "Mother, I have been seeing another man behind my husbands backs. It is Siriushotep. We fell in love when I was still married to Snapamenhotep. We really love each other. Mother please, let us wed."  
  
Ra looked at her daughter and sighed. "Very well," She said finally, "But I must discuss this with Anubis and Khonsu. I hope that they will agree for I don't want to see my daughter disappointed. By the way, why didn't you tell me you were in love with him?" Prazanaznis looked down at her feet and sighed.  
  
"Because I didn't want to disappoint you Mother." Ra just smiled and hugged her youngest daughter. So it was done. Prazanaznis and Siriushotep wed and had a little daughter. Everyone was pleased that they loved each other very much, well, almost everyone. Seht was very distraught that his grandson was married to the daughter of his mortal enemy. So he sent his two favorite sons, Osama and Voldeamen to slay both the groom and his bride, for in Seht's eyes, Siriushotep was a traitor to his family.  
  
* * *  
  
Siriushotep was looking out over the Nile River from his palace. His wife, Prazanaznis, was fast asleep in their room. Ariutu, their newborn daughter, was asleep in Siriushotep's arms. He had been given the honorary task of being the Pharaoh of Egypt, and so far he was doing a wonderful job, for the people loved his kindness and large heart. They especially loved his queen for her likeness in heart and spirit to their king. But tonight Siriushotep sensed that something was going to happen that night, something big. Prazanaznis had gone to bed with the same thought heavy in her mind, but paid no heed. The wind blew softly over her face and she slept softly still. Siriushotep, who worried about his families safety decided he would stay up for a while, to make sure that they would be safe. But the night wore on and nothing happened so he gave up, put Ariutu in her crib, and went to bed.  
  
* * *  
  
About a mile away, Seht and his two sons were planning their attack on the palace of Siriushotep and Prazanaznis. They had been planning this weeks on end, but they wanted to make sure that their plan would run smoothly. When they cut out all the quirks that they knew would ruin their plan, they gathered their army and set out.  
  
* * *  
  
The moon was shining as brightly as ever, thanks to Siriushotep's mother, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. But Prazanaznis was having a fitful night. A terrible nightmare was tormenting her, and she could not sleep. The nightmare was terrifying and seemed so real. A man in black linens would be riding towards the castle in which they were sleeping now at that very moment. A huge army of at least 600 men ran behind him yelling and cursing. They had blood red eyes like their leader and swung axes and spears over their heads. The man on the horse looked the most familiar, he looked almost like Siriushotep, but Prazanaznis knew this was not her husband, for he was much too kind to go over to the dark side. But the dream frightened her so that she woke up in a cold sweat, even though the wind was blowing a wonderful breeze.  
  
She decided to go for a walk in the garden to calm her nerves so she would be able to go to sleep. But as she passed the window, a faint light from the banks of the Nile caught her eye. Over 600 men were marching toward the castle behind two men on horse back. They had black hair and blood red eyes, and were carrying swords. They were headed right this way to attack them, Prazanaznis was sure of it.  
  
She ran back to her room to wake up Siriushotep. When Siriushotep asked what was wrong, Prazanaznis answered with a trembling voice, "Evil soldiers of Seht are coming. Our people love us so I knew it wasn't the villagers, and Seht has always hated my mother. Oh it has to be him!" Siriushotep had no time to console his wife, so he told her to take Ariutu and her other daughters and flee as far away as she could, but Prazanaznis didn't want to leave her husband and his small army to die at the hands of Seht's huge army. And because Siriushotep could not change his wife's mind he had no choice but to let her stay.  
  
* * *  
  
Osama was riding his raven black stallion toward the castle tower where he knew Siriushotep and Prazanaznis had their bed chamber. But as he climbed through the balcony door he found the room totally empty. "Where are they?" He growled to his brother who had just joined him.  
  
"Don't look at me you were the one who told us that they would be in their bed chamber." Osama had no choice but to agree, for his brother was usually right. Voldeamen shook his head in amazement that his traitor of a nephew had so easily escaped them. The only thing left that was alive in the room was a large phoenix that was given to Prazanaznis as a wedding gift from her cousin Horus, the God of the Pharaohs.  
  
* * *  
  
Prazanaznis and Siriushotep were running like mad through a tunnel underneath the castle. Siriushotep had built the tunnel a month before Ariutu had been born. As they panted through the tunnel, Ariutu, who was snuggled in Prazanaznis' arms, began to cry. They stopped for a moment to try to quite down little Ariutu, and after she fell asleep they continued to run. Prazanaznis' other daughters were visiting their fathers for a few weeks and wouldn't be back until morning. Prazanaznis was glad that some of her daughters were safe, but she feared for her youngest child most of all. But as a mother and daughter of Ra she would let nothing happen to her children. Nothing.  
  
* * *  
  
Prazanaznis and Siriushotep emerged from the tunnel about a mile or so from the castle, somewhere near Siriushotep's oldest brother, Entei's, castle. The castle was nothing more then a huge dormant volcano, long since extinct. Entei had seen them coming on a large crystal ball in his throne room. He extended his long claws and growled, knowing his brother was on the run from someone and he had a feeling he knew who it was. His own grandfather, Seht. Entei could not stand the thought that his own grandfather wanted to kill his own grandson, one that used to be his favorite.  
  
Entei's brownish red eyes flashed and the image on the ball disappeared and changed. Now it showed Seht's army headed right in the volcanoes direction. He called for his scribe, a fire angel named Fawkes, to his side. "Fawkes," he said in his usual gruff voice, "Bring my brother and his family inside, I must contact the others at once." Fawkes nodded and did as Entei ordered. When Prazanaznis and Siriushotep were resting their tired souls in the sunroom, Entei entered with the whole motley crew, Ra, Horus, Anubis, Bast, Hathor, Osiris, Isis, Giovannamen, Snapamenhotep, and Prazanaznis' daughters. The other Gods were on their way to help.  
  
After Siriushotep and Prazanaznis told their story, Entei sighed and said, "We must call upon the Powerful ones, the horses of Fire, Ice, Thunder, the Mind, and the Waters, and add their powers. Then we shall call upon my other siblings and mother, Khonsu, The dogs of Thunder, Water, Ice, and Levitation. Fawkes, contact them immediately!" Fawkes once again nodded and left the room. Soon Fawkes came in, yelling and screaming as loud as she could so the others could hear her, "They're here, Seht and his army are here! They're at our gates as we speak!" Entei nodded and the gods picked up their weapons, including Prazanaznis and Siriushotep. Ariutu was now in the hands of Fawkes, who told Siriushotep and Prazanaznis that Ariutu was safe as long as she was with her. They had agreed and were now headed off to battle.  
  
* * *  
  
Seht was standing in front of the now severed gates that had been ripped off its hinges by his strongest warrior when the others appeared. He laughed at their small army, but he did compliment on their bravery for standing up to him. Ra just narrowed her eyes. And with that the battle began. The sound of the battle reached the villagers, who figured out that their beloved gods needed help. They quickly grabbed their weapons and fastest horses and raced to the Castle of Entei. When they got there, the gods were almost beat, but had managed to stay strong with Prazanaznis' magic and wisdom.  
  
She was fighting bravely with Osama when she saw the villagers coming, but they were not alone. Along with them were her favorite scribes. They each represented an element of the world and were well prepared to fight with their magic and brawn if needed. But Seht's armies were much too powerful. The gods were quickly over powered and then one of Seht's men delivered some startling news. He had trapped Fawkes and Ariutu in the castle. But when he tried to kill them, he remembered that they were immortal and couldn't be killed, so he transformed them. He changed Ariutu into a harmless golden wolf cub and turned Fawkes into a phoenix. The Gods gasped as they saw an unknown rage spread over Prazanaznis' and Siriushotep's faces.  
  
They were beyond reason; they attacked most viciously at Seht and his men. But they were ready. When Prazanaznis and Siriushotep reached them, Seht shot a powerful blast at them, changing them immediately into animals. Prazanaznis a white wolf and Siriushotep a large black dog. But that didn't stop Prazananzis' rage. She once again attacked Seht, this time accompanied by her scribes, and surprisingly her daughters. But Seht once again retaliated and changed them all into animals. But they didn't stop there, at least, Prazanaznis didn't. She once again attacked, but a new transformation came over her. Her eyes and claws began to glow a bright yellow, and she began to foam at the mouth. Then in a flash of light, Prazanaznis slashed through Seht's chest, cutting his heart. Seht just laughed at her attack, but stopped.  
  
The Gods figured out why. Prazanaznis' attack had given such a fatal wound that it wasn't healing, even if Seht was a God. He gasped in pain, but before his final breathe he cursed the legendary Pokemon to become statues. Prazanaznis and the others were to live out their lives as animals. But when Seht died, Ra came up with an idea. She uttered a spell upon her children and scribes, for they would stay in their animal forms, but when the time was right, the animal forms would die and the Ka's and Ba's of the others would seek out and live in a new body. Then she cursed the two brothers Osama and Voldeamen to live their lives as snakes and suffer the same fates as the scribes. But Thoth, the Goddess of wisdom prophesied that there would be a new battle, one in which the winners would be rulers of the world. So Ra commanded her children to kill the future selves of the brothers when the time is right. They agreed and lived the lives of animals. The gods along with the gods of different cultures left for a new world called Titanis to live on, and the others lived peacefully in the forests.  
  
* * *  
  
So the Gods and Sages as the animal ones were called lived peacefully until the Sages began to die, which showed that the new life forms were being born. The legendary Pokemon were broken out of their stone prisons and Fawkes and Entei were sent to be in charge of training the new forms. They have succeeded for the training of two of them. Now he has others to train and he must seek them out before the new forms of the brothers strike human kind again. 


	8. Entei, the Prince of Fire

Chapter 7 Entei, the Prince of Fire  
  
Fawkes finished the story with great flare. I was on the edge of my seat, absolutely teeming with excitement as she had told the story to me. I couldn't wait to hear what Fawkes had to say to me now that she was through with the story. Fawkes sat in silence for a few moments, drew a breathe and spoke yet again. "Did you like the story?" She asked me in a hoarse tone from telling me such a long story.  
  
"Yes, very much so!" I said with great enthusiasm, "I've always enjoyed Egyptian culture. I'm a huge fan of their artwork especially." I smiled so much that I thought my face would stay stuck. Fawkes just smiled back, but then looked at me sternly.  
  
"Now I am done with the pleasure Erin but now I must ask something of you. Will you help me and Entei defeat bin Laden? Will you?" I just sat there shocked.  
  
"Why on Earth do you want me?" I asked. Fawkes stayed quite then, she flew into the air. A trail of flame followed her as she flew in a tight flip. The flame broke away from her and drifted over to my chest were it settled. The flame began to form into the shape of a bug, a beetle of some kind. Then all of a sudden, a small string of flame wrapped itself around my neck. It felt so hot I almost screamed. But then as quickly as it started, the heat disappeared and was replaced by the coolness of a brand new necklace chain. I looked down at my chest. There, in its entire gold splendor, was a solid gold scarab beetle. I picked it up and held it in my hand. The fresh coolness enveloped my hand as I admired it from all angles.  
  
"The Medallion of Ra, it was Prazanaznis' most prized possession. Before she was changed, she placed all of her magic in it. Her main power of attacks and transformation were stored in the medallion itself, the rest of her power was stored in five different crystals. Before Ra left Earth, she had her daughter hide the crystals so no one could use all of her magic. And now that you have the medallion, the crystals can now reunite with the medallion so you can fulfill the prophecy as said by Thoth." Fawkes said in one breathe. I just stared at her, wondering why in the hell this phoenix was talking so fast. But I laid my confusion to rest as Fawkes began to explain the whole bag of chips.  
  
I listened whole heartedly, learning of all the attacks I could use. I could shoot beams of light from my hands, make a beam sword like Ryoko, I could shoot a blast from my hands that could cruise on the ground like a guided missile, and I could make statues of creatures come to life. I sat there stunned, if could do all of these things I could have all my payback on my worse enemy Kanisha McKnight, a 8th Grade whore who didn't know when to keep her big mouth shut. She had been causing me shit since 7th Grade and man did I laugh when I heard she didn't pass 8th. When I told Fawkes this she smiled and replied, "I'll run it by my boss." I smiled. I like this phoenix. I thought as Fawkes and I began to laugh. "Oh and another thing." Fawkes said trying to get a breathe from laughing so hard. "Did I ever tell you that now you can fly?" I stopped laughing.  
  
"I'm sorry could you say that into me good ear, I thought I just heard you say I could fly."  
  
Fawkes nodded, "And you can transform into anything you want. I'll see you tomorrow, with my boss in tow." And with that, in a swirl of flame, Fawkes was gone. I sat stunned on my bed, but not that scared stunned but the happier then the entire world put together. And with a great surge of happiness, I fainted.  
  
* * *  
  
When Severus came upstairs to see if I was alright and found me unconscious on the bed, he decided that he would order out for pizza instead of me cooking And know how I would just reel if I had to have to eat his cooking again. I finally woke up and trudged downstairs to cook dinner when the doorbell rang. "Well look who's up." Said Severus as came past me with a hot pizza. I sighed. At least I don't have to cook, and neither does Severus! I smiled. Well this was going to a quite night, in two days I would see Chris for the first time after the break in and tomorrow I would meet Entei.  
  
* * *  
  
The dream, but where am I? It was nighttime again and the same dream was playing in my head. I was once Again in the crystal flower palace, but I didn't hear yelling, instead, I heard wailing. "Your Majesty, please calm down, we'll find Princess Amora."  
  
But the wailing continued. "My baby, why did she run off, poor Domino. I hope she's safe." As I went outside I noticed a tall and grizzled wizard. He seemed to be talking to a young unicorn wearing armor, which lead me to believe that he was a guard.  
  
"Gandalf, I honor your decision to send Domino to Earth, but won't she get noticed by the humans?" The unicorn asked as the wizard smoked his pipe.  
  
Gandalf just shook his head and replied, "No, she won't be seen in her unicorn form. I changed her to be a human. I told her to act as if she only remembered her name and very vaguely her parents. Are you forgetting how good an actress she is?" The unicorn shook his head. "Corandell, you are my favorite of the flower unicorns and I know how much you and Domino loved each other, wishing to marry and have children like normal warriors and princesses would. Unfortunately for the both of you her mother engaged her to that stuck up prince, Lord Reagan." Corandell snorted disapprovingly at the colt's name but said no more.  
  
Then the sun in the horizon began to rise and the world began to fade. Sunlight came in through my window hitting me full force in my eyes. "May Dark take it!" I growled as I sat up. The gold medallion hung heavily on my neck reminding me of the past events. The medallion, the story, and that I could fly! I still didn't know how but I was willing to learn. I continued to finger the medallion as I stepped into the shower.  
  
My mind began to race, thoughts clouded my mind, blocking all day dreams that I was trying to create. I felt some how more like I was more invincible, more independent from any protection, although I had a feeling that I would still need it during my training. I sighed, just then another thought came across my mind. Why didn't Severus notice my medallion last night when I had it in plain sight, hanging outside of my shirt? I was stuck in thought. I gave up in trying to find my answer, so I washed my hair and got out of the shower.  
  
After I got dressed, I slowly made my way down stairs. Things had been nuts during the past day, but I was recovering, or so I thought. I sat down on the couch in the living room. The house seemed very quite beings Severus had stared a new job at the Nebraska Ministry of Magic. I reached down my shirt and pulled out the medallion. I held in front of me in the sunlight streaming through the windows. The gold sparkled as I turned it in my hand. It was then did I notice an imprint in the back. It was supposed to be a picture of Ra the Sun Goddess I guessed, it was of a woman, and it had a sun disk on its head. The imprint was colored in with paint that looked brand new, which it should have been washed out in the shower beings it was so old. Must be charmed. I thought as I turned the medallion in my hand again. Just then, another, more frightening thought came into my head. Here I was sitting down, holding this obviously power piece of magic in my hand, I was called the heir to Prazanaznis, the daughter of Ra, and was chosen to kill two evil bastards bent on destroying all humanity as we knew it, and one of them is the most wanted man in the world?  
  
Now I was enveloped by a new emotion besides the excitement that had welded up inside me since last night. This was no excitement; this was fear, a suffocated fear. It gripped me as if it was the tentacles of a giant squid. I sat, shaking at the thought. How could I do this, I was only 14! I couldn't even swim in the ocean with out screaming, because I scream just the same if a great white is after me, or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot. I had no idea what was going to happen to me. Everything seemed to be a blur. Just then, a voice popped into my head, making me jump. I recognize that voice. I thought as I felt the familiar coldness sweep over my left side. Xexon. He was trying to calm me down, but how come I could hear his voice outside the astroplane? The only way to speak out side spirit world such as Middle Earth was to speak out loud in questions and seeing the reply on the Ojai board.  
  
But here I was, sitting on my couch, hearing Xexon's voice speaking in my ear, or so I thought. He was speaking in my mind. He had never done that before. He usually kept to himself until I was really hot or when I visited him. Then another voice came into my head. He sounded like Xexon, but more deep. The coldness spread to my right side, now on both of my sides. I couldn't believe it. Now I had the spirit Sirius Black at my side. They both were whispering things in my ear, in a language that strangely I understood even though I never heard it before. But I had never heard them outside the astroplane. Their words seemed to sooth me, when all of a sudden I realized that they were saying a spell. The drozy feeling that had started up became stronger, and then I blanked out all together.  
  
* * *  
  
I slowly opened my eyes, still drozy from the spell. "Xexon I'm going to kill you." I muttered. I really didn't like it when he went over board like this, and all I could think about was hoping to God that I wasn't tied to a bed. My eyes snapped fully open. I found myself, not in Xexon's room, but what looked like a large coliseum. The battle arena which I was sitting on was covered in a fine dust. The walls surrounding it loomed up a good twenty feet and had huge statues lining the wall of I could guess where Egyptian gods. The stands loomed upward, filled with seats covered in purple crushed velvet and trimmed with real gold. I warily stood up, a bit wobbly and still trying to get my bearings. Then, out of the blue, the same voice I heard talking to Severus just a few days before came at me.  
  
"Welcome, Erin, to the Coliseum of the Gods." I spun around on my heel to come face to face with a huge, shaggy, lion like dog. He stood well over six feet and looked well over four hundred pounds. He had long shaggy reddish-brown fur; a long stripe of white running down from his chin to his chest. He had no tail, but a flowing white mane running down his back in between twelve spikes, six on each side. His legs were bound with large black bands and his paws were snow white. His face was flat, rimmed by a red mask, adorned with grey like extensions that hung down like fangs, and a grey color like extension on his neck, mostly hidden by his long fur. He also had a three point crest on his forehead. This had to be Entei, which I knew it had to be because I've seen pictures of him. I quickly swallowed my nervousness.  
  
"Dr. Entei and company I presume." Entei smiled.  
  
"Prazanaznis had a sense of humor just like yours, which I could tell you had to be the same person. Your eyes, smile, attitude, and talent."  
  
"How about a fear of spiders."  
  
"A huge one." I smiled.  
  
"So this magic deal, I'm supposed this ultimate power over something." Entei nodded. I smiled again. But then I the fear of being killed set in once more. Entei seemed to read my mind and spoke.  
  
"Don't worry about being killed in battle. The medallion makes you immortal, so you can heal yourself and you won't die." I looked at him in shock. Well then maybe this magic thing wasn't going to be so bad after all. I already knew some basic magic thanks to Xexon and Chris, but to have all of these powers was just over whelming. I didn't think about it at first but what if I was unable to control my abilities and when I freaked out I'd blow everything up? When I asked Entei this he just replied that it wouldn't happen if I had special training. "Training?!?" All of my life I hated physical activity, but having to go into training was just too much. No force on heaven, Earth, or Hell could get me to do a bunch of messily sit-ups. "Alright, I'll accept the magic bit." I said firmly to Entei, "But I downright refused to do any physical activity of any kind."  
  
Entei gave me the cruelest stare I ever received from a person or thing and replied in a harsh throaty growl, "You're going into training and you're going to like it." He said this right in my face so I could smell his brimstone like breathe on my face and that I had to bend backwards to keep him from burning me alive.  
  
"A.a .a.alight I get the point, Mr.Entei sir." The look in his eyes scared me half to death and I had to practically force the words out of my throat. "Good," said Entei, "but we won't start on your training until next week. And its best you get back to your world so you can meet with Kurai." I sat in shock. How did Entei know Chris' real name? He must be able to get access to the council Chris worked for in her real world. She was originally a demon, and had to come to Earth to protect Ruth from Udmong. The tiredness sweep over me as I heard Sirius and Xexon uttering the spell.  
  
* * *  
  
I woke once again to find myself back in my living room. Everything was in its place. The clock began to chime noon. "Holy Shit!!" I cried as I ran upstairs to grab my purse. I had promised to meet Chris in one hour and now that Severus was at work I had to walk there. The traffic on the way wouldn't be pretty, especially beings all of the drivers were on their way to go out to eat. I tied my shoes and headed out. The sun beat down on me as I headed toward the main street down to the stop lights. There were barely any cars on the road thank heavens and I got across the street just fine. But that was a different story when I got to the next crossing. Car after car where whizzing by. This is going to take forever. I thought miserably to myself.  
  
* * *  
  
Twenty minutes later I staggered to New Realities. Chris was waiting for me in the very back talking to one of the workers behind the counter. We had made friends with her when we found out she was a Nintendo nut like me and Chris. Chris saw me and waved me over. I came over, said hi, and told Chris for her to follow me to the food court. We waved good-bye to our friend and headed to the food court.  
  
The food court was a good uncrowded place to talk and well, eat. To tell you the truth it was my favorite place in the whole mall. As we sat down with our lunches, Chris confronted me. "OK, so who's the guy? And where did you get that necklace?" I took a breathe and began from the beginning, the break in, the meeting of Severus, the dreams, the visit with Xexon, Fawkes, the medallion, Xexon's and Sirius' spell, the Coliseum of the Gods, and Entei. I ended with a large loss of breathe. Chris just sat there with her shocked face on, you know the face where her eyes go really wide and her mouth in that O shape.  
  
I sat back and waited for her face to go back to normal; happily eating my pasta from Sborro's as Chris finally unfroze her face and said, "OK, now tell me the real story." Now it was my turn to be shocked.  
  
"That was the fricken real story!" I snapped, "Word for word!" Chris sat once again with her shocked face on, this time I had to wait five minutes. When she unfroze her face again, she gave in to the idea that I was the reincarnation of an Egyptian goddess and that I had powers to match her own, and started on her fries. We ate in silence for the rest of the meal.  
  
Finally after we were done, low and behold Kanisha McKnight came walking right up to us. She looked like she always did, like whore she was. She wore snake skin hoe boots and a way too tight T-shirt. It was her pants that just made Chris and I burst out in a fit of hysterics. They were cover with Smurf and Spongebob Squarepants patches. "What so funny?" She asked in her usually preppy way.  
  
"Why, nothing Oh Oneness." Which made Chris and I go even harder at it.  
  
"Oh Oneness?" Kanisha asked, a small smirk on her face. "Why you actually bowing down to me?" Chris and I looked at each other and went at it again.  
  
"I think all that sex you've had with your pimps have gone to your head, Oh Queen of Whore's." Chris and I nearly bust a gut on that one. "See you in high school, if you ever make it past 8th Grade!" Chris was laughing so hard we were stopped by a security guard who asked what was wrong. We finally made it to Claire's so Chris could get her year supply of glitter and I could get a new batch of lip gloss. While we were purchasing our items, Kanisha and her boyfriend Frank Jemison strolled in. "Look Frank there they are!" She was pointing at us, clutching our shopping bags to our chests as I did my famous Body Slam that I use during football games with my cousins. Frank fell back, stunned, as Severus had taught me a Weakness Charm just yesterday.  
  
* * *  
  
Chris and I bolted to New Realities as fast as we could without causing any attention to our selves. We rushed in pale as ghosts and about ready to collapse with exhaustion. "Good God what happened to you girls?" Asked the manager who had became a personal friend of ours being we were always in there.  
  
"Some mortal enemy of ours synched her very large boyfriend on us just because we called her a few names." I said with a gasp, "Could you hide us?" The manager nodded and led us to the back office.  
  
"I'll call Security and see if we can't get this straightened out." We nodded our thanks, too tired to speak. We sat there in silence until Mrs. Higgins, the Manager, walked in. "Would the people who are after you both are black and go by the names of Frank and Kanisha?" We nodded again. "Well they're gone; they decided that you probably ran all the way home." I snarled. I can't wait until I can use my powers. I thought to myself as I bought a miniature Zhen Garden for my room and an Element candle, Then I'll be able to blow Kanisha's head off.  
  
As we made our way out the door, we took one more nervous glace around to make sure that Kanisha was really gone. Sure enough her and her posse was standing the parking lot, not obeying the commands of the drivers trying to get through. We went out the other exit and quickly ran as fast as we could back to my house.  
  
When we got there, low and behold, the house was complete mess as if someone had tried to find something and I had a clear suspicion on who that someone was. Chris and I searched the entire house and finding nothing missing, started to clean up. "I can't believe that the most wanted man in the world was after you all this time." Said as we settled down to play Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, (I had gotten a GameCube from a contest I had won.).  
  
"Same here." I said peeved at the thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Chris stayed for an hour or so, until her Grandma came and picked her up. I went out back to watch the sun fade and watch the Mackins and Sandwicks mess around in the backyard. Tyler and Tawny Sandwick had avoided me since a couple days ago. Tyler, who always loved to try to run me over with his bike, stopped doing that all of a sudden. I had a slight hunch that he was afraid bin Laden might go after me again and he'd get in the middle of it all, or his parents thought that and told him and his sister to stay away if they valued their lives. I didn't really care, half the time Tyler trying to run me over I was too slow to catch it and knock him off and would get my heels run over in the process. But I made a promise to myself that when I learned how to use my powers I would make a solid barrier around me, because I really didn't really want to hurt the poor kid.  
  
The sun was sinking even lower in the sky, making the skyline burst in a color spill of blues and purples. Erika Mackin came over and sat down next to me on the grass. Her sister Kristine was sitting on their back porch reading a book about King Arthur.  
  
* * *  
  
Tyler and Tawny had long since gone inside for bed and Erika and Kristine's little brother Andrew had gone inside to take a bath. Now only the older kids and the stars stayed out to play. Erika had a constellation book in her hand and a telescope at her side. Every now and then she'll look in to the telescope and then turn back to her book. Kristine soon got bored with reading and came over to join us. Just as Kristine neared, Erika made an excited squeal. "Oh Erin, take a look at the star I have the telescope pointing to." I smirked and walked over. I looked through the telescope at a lone star in the middle of the lens. "Do you know what star it is?"  
  
I shook my head. "No."  
  
Erika just smiled and said, "It's the dog star, Sirius." My heart gave a leap like it always did when I heard that name. That star had been my favorite since I found out about it and my beloveds connection with names. I sighed and Erika and Kristine laughed silently.  
  
"Erin, where are you!" Severus' voice echoed through the backyard.  
  
"I'm out back!" I cried as I continued to look through the telescope. "Well it's time for your shower. So come in." I groaned. The bad thing about Severus becoming my guardian was he had total control over me like I was his puppet. I trudged up the back stairs into the house. Well maybe I am some powerful being, but I still had to follow orders like a God damn dog. (No offense to my beloved.) I trudged upstairs and took my long, hot shower. I used the rest of the hot water that Severus hadn't used yet in his long 30 minute showers. I passed the time in there by humming the melody of a favorite song of mine called "Beautiful Good-bye".  
  
I had often joked about how grown-ups passed the time by talking about us kids using my favorite voice tone. "What's with those kids and them baggy pants? And what's with that music they listen to?" I sniggered. I had heard that quote on "Smart Guy" when T.J. and his dad were arguing about him taking the teachers side when T.J. disagreed with his American History teacher about a few things. Now as my so called "dad" watched football downstairs, I sat down at my computer and began to type out an e-mail. I was going to send it to the White House, to the President, to tell him what had happened to me. 


	9. Suicune and the News

Chapter 8 Suicune and the News  
  
"ERIN WAKE UP YOUR GOING TO BE LATE!!!!" The yell shook me awake like a freight train running over a deer.  
  
"For what?" I yelled as I heard Severus shuffling around in the room next to me.  
  
"Camp. Camp Pocomoke starts today remember?"  
  
*Holy Shit, how could I forget?* I scolded myself as I got dressed. I had to practically rush out the door, my backpack on my back and trying to eat a piece of toast with butter and jelly.  
  
"Took you long enough." Came Kristine's smart reply from the Mackin's mini van in the drive way.  
  
"Oh shut up, Severus scared me half to death trying to get me up this morning. Let's just go before we miss the bus." Kristine sighed and we drove off toward the church by the entrance to the neighborhood.  
  
* * * I trudged through the door later that afternoon, tired, hot, and dirty. The day had been full of trails, swimming and horse back riding. Now, all I wanted to worry about was dinner and my bed. Severus wasn't home from work yet and wouldn't be until six. He had left a message on the answering machine saying he was going to be a little late getting home so don't worry about dinner, just make something for myself.  
  
As I started cooking a mini microwavable pizza, the phone rang. I walked over and picked up the receiver. "Hello." I was able to mutter from being so tired.  
  
"Hello, Miss Prazan, I received your e-mail and I'm not surprised at all about this whole thing. I suggest you rest up while you can so you aren't so tired when Entei is training you or did you just come back from training?" My eyes went wide, the President, he got my message!  
  
"Um no I got back from camp just a couple of minutes ago, that's why I'm tired."  
  
"Ah I see, well no matter, I suspect he will start training as soon as you are finished with camp. Well Bye." I hung up the phone as the microwave beeped saying my pizza was done.  
  
*Nice guy, a little light headed, but nice.* I thought to myself. My pizza was hot when I took it out of the microwave. "Ah perfect. Just the way I like it." I said to myself. "Maybe I could live off these." I sniggered as I sat down in front of the TV and started watching the all holy movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  
  
I was at the part where they were in Potions class with Severus when he walked through the door. "How was your day?" I asked a he started to make a bagel for himself.  
  
"Dull, nothing was going on today, except I got a Howler from my mum." I turned toward him. His mother? I had never even heard him speak of the woman before. From what I knew, she was just as bad as his Step father, Artemus. She had never told Severus about his real father, she had refused to say anything about him and used to treat Severus like dry rot. He tried to kill Artemus once but it failed his magic not yet strong enough. Luckily for him, he wasn't detected when he tried, so he didn't get into trouble. "Well, aren't you going to ask me why she sent one?"  
  
"Might as well, why did she send you a Howler?" Severus smiled at me.  
  
"She thinks I'm not responsible enough to raise you, she thinks that I'll just end up killing you or something."  
  
I groaned. *For the love of chub woman, can't you leave him alone now that he's an adult?* I sighed again. The movie had just gotten to the scene were Seamus blew up the water. I always enjoyed watching his face when he did that. It was always a laugh. I remember the feather all to well from just before the troll scene. Severus had sat down on the large couch just across from me, enjoying the movie himself. "You do know that Harry and his friends think you're the bad guy in this movie, right?" I asked him.  
  
He just shrugged. "Yeah, it's not true though, I have read the books don't you know." I smiled.  
  
"They're good aren't they?" He nodded. We finished the movie and went down into the basement for my daily magic lesson.  
  
Today we were working on Charms. We had gone to Diagon Alley the day before by Floo Powder and bought school books, a cauldron, my wand, (Willow, unicorn hair, 11 ¾ in) And my own owl, a Snowy named Blizzard. Blizzard was sitting on the pool table watching us. "Okay Erin today we'll be learning Wingardium Leviosa, the floating charm. I hope you know how to do it."  
  
I nodded, pointed my wand at the feather on the table and said with feeling as I swished and flicked, "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather rose about three feet until I brought it down back onto the table.  
  
"Very good, I guess that movie has helped you learn a few tricks." I smiled at him. "Now let's see if you know any others." I pointed my wand at a broken toy lying on the floor that my niece, Ashley, had broken the week before.  
  
"Repario." The toy few back together into one piece. Severus smiled at me. I then pointed my wand at him, his wand to be more specific. "Expelliarmus." Severus' wand flew out of his hand faster then you could say Quidditch. "Accio Wand." I said again, summoning the wand to me.  
  
"Lovely, absolutely wonderful." I smiled at him. "Now here's a spell that you might not know, it's called the Anti-Cheating Spell, I was going to teach it to you earlier but I'd rather do it now that I know you can do others. Now all you have to do is point at that quill on the table and say, Antio Cheatio, and the quill will be cheating free."  
  
I pointed my wand at the quill. "Antio Cheatio." The quill hovered and glowed for a few seconds before settling down again.  
  
"It worked, the glowing and the hovering tells you did it right." Severus exclaimed as I made sure the spell worked by trying quiz that Severus had made for me and trying to get the answers from the back of the books. I tried, but I didn't succeed. The quill started to burn at my flesh as I tried to cheat, so I gave up and did it on my own.  
  
As it turned out, I only knew a few spells besides the ones Chris and Severus had taught me like the Binding Spell, The Weakness Charm, and the Heat Spell. I did get a pretty good grade though, but I won't call myself Hermione Granger just yet, I still had a lot to learn.  
  
* * * The week passed without fault, except for on Tuesday, when I fell in the mud at camp. Incidentally, the date was Tuesday the 11th, the same day that the terrorist attacks occurred last year, except in September. I remembered reading an article about how Tuesday the 11th would replace Friday the 13th as a bad luck day. But besides that, the week went by without a problem.  
  
On Sunday I went with my friend Ruth to a play audition for the play, The Wizard of Oz. I thought the auditions went well, having I had gotten a part. My lessons in magic continued to bear fruit. My magic getting stronger everyday after each lesson. This went on for a few weeks, until one day, I once again met up with Entei.  
  
* * * It was Wednesday evening; I had just gotten home from play practice, sitting on my bed listening to the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack when I heard a pounding on my door. It sounded as if Severus was knocking on my door with the palm of his hand. But it sounded bigger. "What?" I said through the door as the handle began to turn.  
  
The door flew open, hitting the small table next to my door, knocking over a small toy. In the doorway, tall and lumbering as he always looked, stood Entei, his long silver mane waving behind him even though there was no breeze. "Hello Erin, are you ready for your training?" I looked at him in amazement.  
  
"Are you mad?! I just got back from play practice and you want me to start my training? Entei, it's late and I'm tired and sweaty. Can we reschedule?" Entei eyed me angrily.  
  
"I told you, you were to start training soon, and what I say goes, now are you coming or not?" I looked at him, looking even angrier.  
  
"No, I said I'm not in the condition to start tonight, and I will say it again, can we reschedule?" Entei looked at me in amazement. "You're pretty gutsy standing up to me like that, Erin, but I still think that training should start right now. Xexon, Sirius. Put the spell on her." I waited for the whispering to start, but it didn't come. No coldness came over me like it had before, it was still stifling hot. I stood there, bewildered. Entei just looked confused as hell. "What in the hell is going on?" Entei asked, growling.  
  
"I can answer that," came Severus' reply from the door way. "They agree with Erin, she does need a break." Entei gave Severus a cold look.  
  
"Severus, Xexon, Sirius. I know that Erin needs a break, but bin Laden has found a new weapon of destruction. If Erin doesn't receive her training soon, bin Laden will be on us with his Charged Particle Cannon without mercy." My head shot up at the words, "Charged Particle Cannon".  
  
"Do you mean he has a Zoid?" Entei shot his head towards me.  
  
"You know about Zoids?" I nodded.  
  
"It's my favorite television show."  
  
Entei looked at me in shock. "So, if I asked you what was Jack Cisco's Zoid, Team, and Team member's you would say.?"  
  
"Lightning Saix, Lightning Team, Chris and Kelly Tasker." Entei sat impressed.  
  
"Well maybe we have a hope after all. If the US military use Erin's knowledge on Zoids, they might be able to defeat the Zoids, allowing Erin to finish bin Laden off with her magic."  
  
"Whoa, back up. You mean I'm supposed to be some kind of assassin? You're nutter's, all of you." Severus crossed his arms.  
  
"Erin, are you forgetting that with that medallion you're immortal?" I looked back at Severus.  
  
"Nobody told me, you ass. Why do you think I'm freaking out?!?" I retorted, "Besides, I don't like killing people! I just don't feel right. I can't even kill a fly without hesitation." With that, I turned on my heel and left the room, Fawkes hurriedly flapping after me.  
  
"Well, it was worth a try." Said Entei to Severus as I started downstairs.  
  
* * * For the rest of the week nothing else happened. Severus and I barely talked. (He was still mad that I had called him an ass in front of his employer.) Fawkes had decided to live with us and teach me a few basic attack spells that I could do now that I had my medallion. It was kinda handy knowing how to throw fire balls and controlling water, even though my fire balls were small and I could only make water splash without having to move the table or anything, but according to Fawkes, I was farther then she thought.  
  
Fawkes and I became really close. I would usually have her on my shoulder as I did my chores in the house, and would hide in the bushes as I mowed the lawn or took out the trash. Every now and then I would cry myself to sleep, thinking about my parents and how they had to suffer because of me. When this happened, Fawkes would fly down to my bed and sing her Phoenix song. Severus would also come in and sit the edge of my bed, stroking my head.  
  
This went on for several days. I was glad for their company, glad I had some one to love me like my parents did when I was little and I couldn't fall asleep, they would let me crawl into bed with them. I wasn't about to start with Severus, oh hell no. I would rather get raped by bin Laden. (Not really, but you get the general idea.)  
  
* * *  
  
I had lived pretty good life with Severus, beings he spoiled me and got me a dog of my own, a Golden Retriever named Sunbeams. He would also let me get away with about everything, except murder of course. Severus started forgiving me for calling him an ass, and we started living happily together, just me, Severus and Fawkes. It wasn't until one night did I remember Fawkes story, how when Osama and Voldeamen entered Prazanaznis' bedchamber and in the corner was a pet phoenix. When I asked Fawkes about it, she answered, "You know, I have no idea what ever happened to him, I haven't seen him for 400 years almost."  
  
I sighed, "How was he when you last saw him?"  
  
Fawkes shrugged, "I guess he was OK, but I don't really remember."  
  
"Ah." Severus walked into the room carrying a big bowl of popcorn, he didn't really care if I broke a bracket or not, I just had to be careful, like sucking on the kernels and swallowing them whole. "What are you girls doing?" He asked as he sat down.  
  
"Just talking about girl stuff, what's it to you?" He just shrugged and turned back to the show we were watching about a pet psychic, and damn was she a character. She was talking to a couple on how their dog needed more attention because they were so busy all the time when the phone rang. I got up and answered it. "Hello?" A familiar male voice came over the receiver.  
  
"Hi, is Erin there?" I groaned and rolled my eyes.  
  
"Brandon, it's me. And I still don't forgive you for telling the entire Camp Pokamoke about me and Sirius." A stunned silence followed.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" He asked as I started to giggle.  
  
"I have caller ID numb nuts, don't act stupid." There was another stunned silence.  
  
"Oh, well, I just called to apologize for telling everyone at camp about Sirius. Sorry." This time I was silent.  
  
"Apology accepted. Now do you promise not to tell anyone again about that subject?"  
  
"Yes Dear." I smiled. *I have him trained like a husband, and we're not even married.* I giggled to myself. We said good-bye and hung up. I went back over and sat next to Severus and Fawkes. However, Severus was very quiet about something, and looking at me with a very hurt look on his face.  
  
* * *  
  
The rest of the week was uneventful. (This is the boring part of the story folks but keep reading, it will get better, I promise.) The sky was cloudy the whole week. It rained twice and the streets were always flooded, so I couldn't go bike riding, or walking. All I could do was sit in my room, listen to music, play video games and sleep. So actually, it was a pretty good week for me. Fawkes would sometimes lay with me when I listened to music or played video games, and would snuggle next to me when I slept.  
  
Severus all of a sudden was very quiet during the day, always secretive and shy. He never talked any more. Once I tried to talk to him and ask if he was having that dream about Ryoko again, but he refused to talk to me. *OK, he always wants to talk to me, why did he change all of a sudden? It's as if he's hiding something from me. Do you have any idea what's going on?* I asked Fawkes telepathically one morning as Severus was reading the paper. (Thanks to Fawkes I learned how to speak telepathically, which was somewhat easy.) Fawkes shrugged her wings.  
  
*Don't know, he might just get a little touchy around this time of year for some reason.* I sighed. Maybe, it's about his sister.  
  
The next day was the same as the others, cloudy, rain, and the whole nine yards. The wind was terrible; it almost blew me over when I tried to take a walk when it wasn't raining. Severus was still quiet, even when the week passed. We excused the idea that it was about Severus' sister, Serena, and decided it was something else that was bothering him. Fawkes and I were getting a little impatient. "Oh screw privacy, I want to know what the hell is going on with him or I'm going to go insane!" I growled later that week as I was preparing to go to Texas for a family reunion, which I didn't want to go, but Fawkes made me.  
  
"Oh you're angry because we made you go to the family reunion. Which reminds me, why don't you want to go see your family?" I rolled my eyes and did kind of a half growl half sigh of frustration.  
  
"I've told you before Fawkes, it's because they are going to treat me like a love sick puppy. I hate attention, I can't stand it. I like being left alone, and when I'm there they won't leave alone for a minute, thinking I need attention, and even if I ask they won't leave me alone. Once I was caught on the phone for an hour with my cousin who wouldn't shut up about how sorry she was about my parents and when I tired to tell her I was going to be late for play practice she kept ranting on like a lunatic until finally I had to slam the phone back down on her! Now what about Severus?" Fawkes pondered for a moment until she got her scary evil face and started rubbing her wings together.  
  
"Oh no, not the Evil Phoenix Glare! It's too gruesome, but we'll do it." I imitated her evil glare.  
  
"That's not what I meant but a good idea. I meant I can teach you how to read minds." I looked at Fawkes as though she was nuts. "I don't think I want to read his mind, I know too much about him already." Fawkes looked at me with that you can't be serious look. "I am serious now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower." And with that I left the room. *Oh well, at least she know to use her powers for the side of good.* Thought Fawkes as I continued up the stairs.  
  
* * *  
  
Severus wasn't home for sometime of the week. Fawkes and I were starting to get a little worried. He sent an owl on Tuesday to say he was fine, I still was wonder what in the hell was bothering him so much. I had started sending him owls, but always getting the same reply, it's none of your damn business. I had given up shortly after that, thinking he would snap out of it one day. He didn't contact me for a whole week. Fawkes had decided to go look for him. "Are you insane leaving me here alone, I'm afraid of the dark for crying out loud."  
  
  
  
"Then why do you sleep with your door closed and without a stuffed animal." I pouted.  
  
  
  
"I can sleep fine when there's someone in the house with me at night; I just have a fear of being left alone in the dark that's all." Fawkes shook her scarlet head.  
  
  
  
"I know, I know. That's why I got a baby sitter to take care of you." "I really wish you would reword that." I spat as Fawkes smiled.  
  
  
  
"Sorry, but she should be here soon, in fact there she comes." I turned to were Fawkes was pointing. A mass of silver goo rose from the floor. It started to take the shape of a dog like creature with a hoop like crest, a long mane and two tail-like extensions coming from her rear and flowing to her shoulders. The sliver goo disappeared to reveal a silverish blue dog with white diamond like spots on her sides. "Erin, I would like to introduce you to Entei's younger sister, Suicune. Suicune, this is Erin Prazan of Earth." Suicune penetrating sapphire eyes met my eyes.  
  
  
  
"Nice to meet you Erin." She said all of sudden in an airy voice.  
  
  
  
"She might not look it, but she has a great sense of adventure." I gulped.  
  
  
  
"I hope she doesn't go over board with the adventure stuff, I don't think she's allowed to be seen by Muggles." Fawkes nodded.  
  
  
  
"She knows her limits. I hope you won't be a problem for her."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, I'll bet she's a lot better then my sister Gina. She always teases me." Suicune smiled.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry; I'm not one of those types. Besides, I think we'll have a lot of fun together." Secretly I was praying to God, Please let her not go all preppy on me, please let her not go all preppy on me.  
  
Just as Fawkes was about to leave there was a knock on the door. I told Fawkes and Suicune to hide in the bathroom until I called for them. Slowly I opened the front door, a man in official looking clothing, was standing on the front patio. "Hello? May I help you?" The man looked at me, gulped, took a deep breathe and spoke.  
  
  
  
"Miss. Prazan, I'm your Uncle John, from Colorado. I just got back from the hospital where your Grandmother was kept." He stopped for a moment of uncertainty, leaving me gulp. I already knew what he was going to say. I could tell it in his eyes. Plus, the faintest trace of his voice in thought reached my mind, Oh man how am I going to tell her about Jean, it was really hard for Bev and the others, how will Erin take it, with her parents gone.  
  
  
  
I didn't dare tell him about my powers when he left, that I had known about my grandmother's death before he even said anything. She had never been the same since her surgery earlier that year. Plus, I was beginning to believe that my power to read peoples minds was starting to kick in. Fawkes and Suicune were surprised how well I took the news, my grandmother dead, someone I had known all my life. I was used to death. Three hamsters dead, a great aunt, two great uncles, and probably soon my grandfather from a broken heart. I was used to death, I knew it happened. 


	10. Severus' Secret

Chapter 9 Severus' Secret  
  
Severus and Fawkes were gone for about a week. Suicune and I learned we had a lot in common during this time. Even though it was a weird couple of days after my grandmother's death, I soon snapped out of my daze and started doing all the things I used to do. At night, when no one was around, Suicune and I would take a walk up to Ruth's house. Ruth would be rather surprised to see Suicune the first few times I did this. But we would shake it off and chill in her basement for a bit until Suicune and I would catch our breathe and get our strength back. I would bring my CD's sometimes, because Ruth had finally gotten a CD player of her own.  
  
She had once broken down in a fit of hysterics when I brought my comedy CD over and we listened to Zim Acts out Dragonball Z and Pokemon. Once I went over to my grandmother's house with relatives to clean out her house. I had taken some fabric she didn't use from her house, a sparkly flower pattern and a down felt Aztec pattern. I had also taken other things besides that.  
  
* * *  
  
One night, with Suicune lying in front of the fireplace with a crackling fire, courtesy of myself, I sat in mom's old easy chair trying to make a poncho from the Aztec fabric. Just then I heard the garage door opening. Suicune and I snapped our heads in the direction of the garage door to see.Severus and Fawkes emerging from the garage! "Severus!" I yelped with joy as I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck.  
  
"Hello." He said quite sadly as he wrapped his arms around me. Fawkes settled herself on top of Pixie's (my hamster) cage. Sunbeams and Blizzard had rushed in to see what was going on. My poncho lay forgotten on the floor.  
  
* * *  
  
Severus had been very sorry to hear about my grandmother. He almost cried because he had met her one night visiting a relative in the same nursing home as her. Grandma had been so kind to him even though he was a wizard and she was a Catholic woman. She even gave him a pillow she had made out of a Slytherin patterned fabric, which he now held on his lap. I told him not to worry about me, I was strong and the only time I cried for her was when I was holding a rose from the bouquet on her casket on the day of her funeral.  
  
I had dried the rose, which was now in a vase our relatives in the Czech Republic had sent us, which was sitting on my computer desk. Severus hugged me for the second time since the time when he found me crying in my room. My heart went out to him; sorry that he felt this kind of pain.  
  
* * *  
  
I lay sleeping next to him, his black hair slightly grazing my face as I lay my head on his shoulder. Severus didn't move to go to his room, afraid he would wake me. He gave up when his shoulder fell asleep, so he picked me up and carried me upstairs. I slept on, hard as a rock. I didn't even move as he lay me down on my bed. He sat down and started to part my hair. But the next thing he did wake me; he had bent down and kissed my cheek. Smack! I whirled around and smacked him on the cheek. "What in the hell was that for!" I snarled as he sat on the floor, dazed.  
  
I stopped when I saw his eyes, tearing and in pain. I had to admit I could hit really hard when I wanted, and I couldn't control it that well. I knelt down beside him. "Sorry, it was a reflex. I didn't know you felt that strongly about me. And I guess you just missed me." His eyes were still tearing and he was looking away from me. How in the hell was I supposed to tell him I was sorry if Severus wasn't listening to me? I looked over to Fawkes and Blizzard, who were looking at me funny. It took me a minute to figure out what they were thinking. Oh my God, anything but that! I screamed in my head. Fawkes and Blizzard where still looking at me with that look. Alright, alright, I'll do it, but you owe me. They smiled and left the room.  
  
I gulped, it was now or never. I grabbed the front of Severus' robes, yanked him toward me and kissed him right on the lips. We stayed like that for a few minutes. He wouldn't let me part from him, his arms wrapped around me. After we finally parted, I swiped the hair from my eyes and said quite plainly, "Now I hope you don't get any ideas from that, I only did that to get your attention. That was just a friendly kiss, to show that there are no hard feelings. OK, do you understand?" He nodded. I nodded.  
  
He helped me to my feet and was about to leave when he spun around, gave me a short kiss again on the lips, and before I could slap him, he ran out of the room, leaving me to yell, "YOU FUCKING SON OF YOUR MOM, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME! I APOLOGIZED TO YOU, WHAT IN THE HELL!!!" And all the while I heard him laugh next door in his room. When I heard his door slam, I ran into the bathroom as fast as my thick, muscular legs could carry me. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and really started to brush, hard. My gums bled profusely from the bristles cutting into them. I spit out the foam, reddened from the blood. "I can't believe him!" I snarled into the mirror as Severus' soft breathing came from behind his door. "Who does he think I am a slut?" I small snigger emitted from his room. "Oh shut the hell up!" I snapped at his door, the sniggering turning into a soft laugh.  
  
I burst through his door, to see him sitting up in bed, without clothes! I was glad the covers were up over his hips. I had wondered if he wore anything to bed, now I knew. He sat lazy eyed and smiling as he studied the shocked look on my face. I had gone pale as his sheets and my eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Didn't anyone teach you how to knock?" He asked with a bemused look on his face and with a hint of laughter in his eyes and in his voice. I swallowed; he was trying to see if I could control myself, as if he knew my period was coming on, and women usually got a little horny around the time of their period, some anyway.  
  
I glared at him, wondering. He must be trying the old approach of laughing when he did something to get me pissed and get me to attack him in bed when he was naked. I had seen this trick way to many times on TV. He thinks that's going to work. I'll just beat him up in the morning. When he has clothes on. Severus looked quite surprised as I walked out of the room. But as I was just about to close his door, I heard him talk to Fawkes, saying, "She has more control then I thought, I was thinking that being so close to her period would make her sex hungry, I guess I underestimated her."  
  
"Well, she knows the consequences for unsafe sex, plus she always had wonderful control from beating someone up. I guess you're one of the few lucky ones that didn't get her too mad." Severus gulped, "One of the few lucky ones?" Fawkes nodded.  
  
"She did beat up Sam Barrett pretty good when we saw him last. Oh you couldn't believe the things he was saying to her about how weird she was, I'm just glad her powers aren't strong enough yet." I shrugged, Let them talk that way, Severus is getting his ass kicked tomorrow, good thing he has the rest of the summer off. He'll need it to recover.  
  
I smiled devilishly as I went into my room, but paused for just a moment as Severus' voice sounded these three words, "I love you." 


	11. Domino, the Black Tulip

Chapter 10 Domino, the Black Tulip  
  
The days went by, school was just around the corner and I was nervous. I had long since kicked Severus' ass about the kiss and the moves he was making toward me on the night he returned. He was still sorry about missing my play, which had aired the week after the 4th. I had dismissed it, however, and took great joy in telling him about it. He enjoyed it when I got to the parts where I sang, saying that I had a lovely voice and should sing the National Anthem at a baseball game or something. I just shrugged and continued with my description of the play.  
  
Fawkes had been quite glad for Severus' return as had I. Suicune had decided to live with us and help with my training. I was becoming stronger, having mastered a beam sword like Ryoko's, I could shoot energy blasts like Mewtwo, and make things levitate without a wand like Celibi. Entei stopped by now and then to see how I was doing, pleased of my progress and had given me a few weeks off from training to get ready for high school.  
  
There was still one thing bugging me, that one night Severus had returned home from his secret journey, he had yelled out to me before I went into my room, "I love you." I refrained from asking him about this, for every time I discussed it with Fawkes, Severus would pass by, over hear, and then walk away blushing. This went on for a while, until I gave up and we became a strange family once again.  
  
It was one night, cold and rainy, when the strangest thing happened. I was cooking dinner; Severus was in the den redoing the cushions on the sofas, Fawkes and Suicune where in the family room, discussing the latest news from the castle of the gods. I was draining the noodles for the spaghetti when a small knock came from the front door. Severus walked down the hallway toward the door, and answered it. There was some talking, and then the door closing and Severus' footsteps coming back. But with the sound of his shoes on the tile, there was the sound of small bare feet on the tiles walking next to him.  
  
Then Severus reemerged from the hallway to be found holding the hand of a small girl. She looked no older then the age of 4 or 5, and was about as high as my waist. She wore a black dress with white trim, and a red cap with a white front. She had no shoes or socks. She had on her right wrist a small bracelet that looked as if it was made out of a bunch of golden topaz crystals, on which was clasped a small charm that looked like tiny version of a unicorn's horn. In her left hand, which Severus was holding tightly in his right hand, she held what looked like a black tulip. Her bluish green eyes searched me as if she was studying me behind her golden blonde hair. Or what would have been golden blonde hair if she wasn't soaking wet. "Oh you poor thing." I said as I approached her with a towel. She let go of Severus' hand and walked up to me and welcomed the warm towel I held out for her. After drying her off, I served dinner, and as we all sat down, Severus was the first to ask our little visitor a question.  
  
"So what's your name?"  
  
She looked at him with those reproaching eyes and answered quite plainly, "Amora, but you can call me Domino."  
  
"Domino, eh? Well that's quite the nickname. Do you know where you're from?" She shook her head.  
  
"I have a slight case of amnesia, so I don't remember anything but my name, and the fact that I'm an orphan, and I have no place to go." We sat in silence for a moment, but my mind and memory sure weren't still. Where had I heard those names before? I asked myself as I continued to eat my spaghetti in silence.  
  
We said nothing for the rest of the dinner; Domino quickly became a favorite beings she helped me with the dishes. After we stayed up for a while watching TV, I took Domino up to my room, were she would sleep with me. After she was sleeping soundly, I walked out into the dark hallway only to run into Severus in the doorway of his room. "What do you want?" I asked harshly as he came toward me.  
  
"All I want is a kiss good night, that's all."  
  
"Pardon?" He sighed.  
  
"Look, I'll make you a deal. I'll stop trying to hit on you, if you give me kiss every night before bed. Then after that we dance, we kiss, we smooze, we carry on, we go home happy, what do you say?"  
  
"Gee, let me think." I said as I turned toward the wall. Let's see, if I agree, I'll have to kiss him every single night and get his slobber on me, but on the other hand, if I don't, he'll keep hitting on me, knowing that he loves me the way he does. I've got it, but I'm going to hate myself in the morning. I turned toward him, waiting anxiously by his door. I walked toward him and puckered my lips. Come on, give your best shot, might as well get it over with. He pulled me toward him, and before I could react to his closeness, he kissed me.  
  
He held me tight in his arms as I kissed him back. I was kinda surprised at the way he kissed; it wasn't slobbery as I thought it would be. He was quite gentle; his lips cradled mine loosely, his spit still in his mouth, his lips not too tight. Actually, I kind of enjoyed it, God forbid. After about five, maybe ten minutes, he loosened his grip on me and let me go. I looked at him for a few seconds, and then edged into my room. After I heard his door shut after mine, I had to slap myself. "Erin, get a grip on yourself girl. Severus is Snape, the greasy haired son of a bitch who likes the Dark Arts and hates Muggles and Muggle borns. You're in love with Sirius Black, not Severus Snape." I slapped myself again. I shook my head violently and tried not think it but was succumbing to another thought that I was reluctant about. Very reluctant. I was falling in love with Severus. (I'm saying this for you Chris and Ruth to save you time.)AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! 


	12. The Message and the Gift

Chapter 11 The Message and Gift  
  
The week went by quietly since the night Domino first arrived. Severus and I had both kept our mouths shut about what we did every night before we went to bed, I didn't think Fawkes would be too pleased with what was happening between us. Suicune figured it out but honored our decision to keep it quiet. Domino had no idea about it for she had been asleep. I still was rattling my brain for where I had heard her name before.  
  
The black tulip she had never died, it was fake as I could see, mechanical and a danger beings it held a stunner and a sharp point, I had told her to keep it in the vase next to the rose from my grandmother's casket. She had been stunned to find that roses could be purple in color, not just red, white, yellow, or pink. I had been surprised myself from the moment my uncle had handed me the rose and two other flowers to represent my parents. They too, were dried and placed in the vase. It could only fit four flowers in it anyway so I didn't have to worry about it anyway.  
  
As the days went by, I could tell Severus was getting restless about something. When I asked him why, he said, "We should have gotten a message from bin Laden by now. He usually does when he's taken someone. But he hasn't yet." I sat next to him and sighed. *Guess I'm wondering when he'll call too. I need to tell my parents not to worry about me and about grandma. I know its going break dad's heart, and it's going to be a tough job but someone has to do it.* We sat in silence for a moment. Then a feeling like no other came over my body. It took me a moment to figure out what it was. Lust. But why would I be feeling it when my period had long since past? I looked over at Severus and saw the same look in his eyes that he had when I had kissed him the very first time. He shot a side glance at me and turned away. Could I feel other people's emotions? Was this another power I possessed? And why did he feel lust all of a sudden?  
  
These questions rang in my head as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Severus looking at me, and he began to lean toward me. But before he got close enough, the phone rang. I snatched the phone as quick as I could, glad for the interruption. "Hello?" I asked into the phone, the answer came in a harsh Arabic voice, cold as the winter, and as hard as stone.  
  
"Hello Miss Prazan. How are you?" I went stiff. Severus sensed my worry and came to stand next to me.  
  
"Bin Laden?" I asked. Even though I couldn't hear or see it, I knew he was smiling. My eyes narrowed and the soft blue went into an icy rage. My free hand balled into a fist. I started to shake uncontrollably. Severus put his hand on my shoulder to try to calm me down. I shook off his hand, I was shaking so violently. I could hear drilling and hammering in the background on bin Laden's side. "Where are my parents?" I said in a would be calm voice, rage spilling through me like water over a rock.  
  
"They're fine. You can't talk to them so you're going to have to take my word on it. I would suggest however, thinking about giving up the pretty gold medallion around your neck." I looked down at my medallion. *So this is what he wants, well he's not going to get it.* I thought to myself as Severus once again placed his hand on my shoulder. I was going to have to go and get my parents myself, beings I wasn't about to give that son of a bitch the medallion. I wasn't quitter; I was going to fight him for it.  
  
"I have to at least talk to my father." I said firmly, "I have news." There was silence for a few moments. He was probably pondering my question.  
  
"Very well," came his cold, harsh voice over the line. "You may speak to them." I could hear him talking in Arabic to one of his minions. Then after I few minutes, I heard the sound of bin Laden giving the phone to someone.  
  
"Erin?" Came an uneasy, but familiar male voice over the phone.  
  
"Dad? Is that you? Are you alright?" I asked hurriedly as Severus sat down for a moment.  
  
"Yes it's me. What did you want me to talk to you about?" I swallowed. I was beginning to have second thoughts about telling Dad, but I knew I was going to have to.  
  
"Dad, Grandma died a couple weeks ago." There was a stunned silence.  
  
"I figured it was going to happen." Came his voice, a little shakier then before. "She was never really doing very well since her surgery earlier this year." I nodded, knowing that my father couldn't see me.  
  
"Can I talk to mom?" I asked as Severus looked at me with reproachful eyes. He agreed and said his good-byes and Mom's voice came over the phone.  
  
"Erin sweetie, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah Mom, I'm alright. How are you and Dad doing?" I asked with tearful eyes, happy to hear my mother's voice again.  
  
"I'm doing well; your father's a little shaken. I can't believe bin Laden's been after you this whole time, and to think, we had no idea." I smiled slightly.  
  
"It's OK Mom. Besides I'm fine here with my appointed guardians, they won't let anything happen to me." I could hear her sigh of relief.  
  
"That's good, I think your father would like to speak to Severus, that's his name right, Severus?" I agreed, said good-bye, and handed the phone to Severus. After a few minutes Severus said good-bye and hung up. He had a smile on his face.  
  
"Typical father move, typical."  
  
I looked at him and asked, "What, what's typical?" He laughed a little.  
  
"He just made sure that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and that if we ever started dating, I should make sure to get you home by eleven 'o' clock!" At this he just broke down laughing. Even I had to giggle. Dad was a nut, I had to admit, but that made me miss him more.  
  
Soon my laughter turned into choking sobs. Severus stopped laughing and sat down and hugged me. I was glad he was here with me; either that or I don't think I would have even gone on.  
  
I sat in my room, gazing at the ceiling. It had been one week since bin Laden's call, and I was restless. Severus had been at work all day, trying to get some help for the war against Osama bin Laden since 6 this morning. Fawkes was sleeping in the den like she usually was; Suicune was at the foot of my bed, sleeping, with Domino next to her, sleeping. Practically everyone in the house was sleeping except me.  
  
I was nervous and jumpy, like I was expecting a freight train to come and run over my house. The music on my computer was playing low and strong. My feet were propped up onto the dresser to my left. I missed Severus this morning, hoping that he wouldn't be too long since I missed his company. He still never told me why he was gone that long before when my grandmother died. I was still curious but I wasn't going to press him, he seemed troubled enough when he got back.  
  
I reached up onto my computer desk and took hold of box that was set on the top shelf. It was a Zoid model, the same Zoid model I had bought on the last day of school. The picture of the Liger Zero looked back at me as I opened the box. I took out the pieces and started to put them together. It took me a good hour or so to get it together. I studied it in my hands for a few minutes before I set it back on my desk and threw away the box.  
  
"Erin!" Came Severus' voice from the kitchen. I ran down stairs, happy to see him again. He was carrying a large brown paper sack, which he promptly sat on the table as he opened his arms and hugged me. "Where you bored?" He asked as I hugged him tighter. I nodded my head.  
  
"You have no idea." I said as I looked over to the paper bag on the table. He loosened his grip on me and followed my gaze. He smiled and opened it. Inside was a package covered in brown paper. On the front were my initials in gold ink. I looked at him as he handed me the package. I took it from him and looked at him, questioning.  
  
"Well, open it. I didn't jinx it." I slowly opened it. Out of the box, two things flowed out. A silky pair of wizarding robes came out first. I held it up to me. The top cover was a dark blue with silver trim, runes also boarded it. The undershirt was black with silver trim and flare out sleeves. The belt was nothing more then a gold rope that felt as if it was made from satin. The cloak was also black with silver trim. A small parcel was in the pocket of the robe, which turned out to be a silver necklace in the shape of a moon. Imbedded in the silver was a golden topaz, my birthstone. I thanked Severus shakily and turned my attention to the other thing in the box. An Invisibility Cloak!  
  
"Neat! I always wanted one of those." Severus smiled.  
  
"Why don't you try on your robes and I'll hang on to the cloak for a moment." I agreed and went to put the robes on. I stepped out of the bathroom, the base of the outfit swishing back and forth. The collar wrapped my neck comfortably and was held together by a broach made of a rose quartz. The robes fit my figure as if it was costume fitted. Severus stood up and put the necklace around my neck. "Now, if your hair was clean and brushed you'd look stunning." I smiled at him. He then handed me a pair of ankle high boots that went with the outfit. I quickly put them on and spun around on the heel. "Perfect, oh wait I forgot something."  
  
He took the rope belt off and attached a brown leather pouch to it. He then tied the belt back on. The pouch was about as big as the can clock on my computer desk, not as wide, but close, and twice as long. It was made with deer skin and was held shut with a wildcat claw. The trim was a silver and gold twist of cord, made from the same material as the belt. The pouch also had a few small pockets that looked as if they were made to hold small potion bottles. "I got it costume made so it can hold your wand, the cloak, and a few small potion bottles. It can also hold money in the pocket on the inside."  
  
"Oh thank you Severus, but why did you get me these things?" Severus smiled.  
  
"I got them to cheer you up Erin. I figured you'd be pretty down in the dumps around this time, your parents unable to take you to your first day of high school." I ran to him and hugged him.  
  
"Oh thanks again, it worked wonders, I feel a lot better, thank you." I quickly folded up the cloak and put it neatly into the pouch pocket and put my wand also inside.  
  
"My, someone got an early birthday present this year." Came Entei's gruff growl from near the fire place. Entei came and studied me as I stood straight and tall and stuck out my chest a little bit. He looked me up and down, and walked around me. "Very nice. I'd say you paid a pretty galleon for it and an Invisibility Cloak as well. My, now where did you get that?" Severus looked at Entei disapprovingly.  
  
"To tell you the truth, it's my birth fathers cloak. I finally met him when I was away the first time several weeks ago. He gave it to me to give to someone that was very close to my heart." Severus gave me a look of longing. Entei noticed his gaze, and gave him a disapproving growl. Severus reproached with a snarl of his own. Entei, who was taken aback, didn't punish him. He seemed to study Severus for a moment, and then left him alone.  
  
"So, any word about bin Laden?" He asked.  
  
I nodded, "He called last week. He at least let me talk to my parents." Entei nodded his agreement and disappeared. Fawkes had woken by then, and after complementing my new robes, went to wake Domino and Suicune for dinner. 


	13. The White Wolf: Wolfbane's Debut

Chapter 12 The White Wolf: Wolfsbane's Debut  
  
The weeks went by without any more dilemmas. School had started and it had been a hard few weeks to adjust. It was different from middle school, loads different. My friend Michelle didn't go to North with us, instead she went to West. Ruth, Chris, Brittany, and I were usually in different classes, but it was nice to see them at lunch.  
  
I felt a lot better in a school where my friends. Also during this time, in between homework and my free time, Severus began teaching me about Animagi. I was surprised to learn that he was one, a black panther. It was hard to learn about at first but as I began to really understand the material, I began trying to become one. I had an animal of chose, a huge white wolf, and tried and tried and tried again till I could try no more. I had a feeling this is where my talents stopped working. It was harder then I thought. I hadn't actually deformed myself which was good, but I was running out of luck. So to be on the safe side, I quit. Severus agreed it was for the best.  
  
Everyday I would sit at my computer desk, thinking. School was becoming a bore, I hardly saw my friends, and some jerk from history class was hitting on me. Home life wasn't going to smoothly either. Severus was starting to get a little edgy. I stopped talking to him in fear he would hurt me or Domino. Work, as it turned out for him was hell. He couldn't get any time off and he had to take the late shift one night.  
  
* * *  
  
I was up watching Dogma on Comedy Central when he walked into the house. He had bags under his eyes and walked hunched over, mumbling something about needing a vacation. I turned off the TV and got up. He turned toward me with a beat look. "Work becoming hell?" I asked as he slupped into the sofa.  
  
"How'd you guess?" He asked grumpily as I continued to look at him.  
  
"Well the bags under your eyes are a dead give away, and how you're acting." He looked at me for a few seconds and beckoned me toward him. I got and went to him like the "good little puppy" I was. I didn't say a thing as I snuggled up to him and as he put his arm around my shoulder. I didn't move as he adjusted himself, and continued to watch the movie. He said nothing as the Seraphim or whatever the hell it was called arrived in a mass of flame and was very surprised when he heard that God was a woman and Jesus was black, and that there was a thirteenth apostle who wasn't written in the bible because he was also black. He said nothing when the last angel of Death got his head blown off by God. But he cracked up with me when God did a hand stand and revealed that she wore boxers! Red polka dotted ones. After the movie was over we hit the hay. As I lay sleeping, a dream filled my head. It wasn't the same as the others; instead, it involved a large white wolf.  
  
The moon shone like any other dream, perfect and brightly. The wolf sat on a low cliff to see a woman running like mad down a cliff and trip into a pond. The woman screamed to the sky, "WHY ME? WHY?" This went on for a few minutes until a burst of flame lit up the area and the Seraphim helped her up out of the water and calmed her down. It was like the movie Dogma, it happened in Dogma. The wolf kept watching until morning, when the group went to breakfast. The day flew by to the next, and before you could say, "Dear God Bob" the wolf was at the scene where they fought with the angel of death.  
  
Then out of nowhere the wolf grew angry as the Angel of Death killed his brother and lunged at him. The wolf leapt onto him and was easily thrown off. Then the wolf grew even angrier, growling. And as it did so, the wolf's claws began to glow a light yellow. It was then when I saw it, the medallion! Around the wolf's neck! It too, began to glow. Then it lunged forward, yelling out the words "STRIKE LASER CLAW!!!" In my voice! As the wolf made contact with the angle's chest, I woke up in a cold sweat and was panted loudly.  
  
I sat in a stunned silence, not uttering a word. Fawkes hadn't moved nor woken when I sat up. Suicune and Domino still slept on, dreaming about something. I got up and got a drink of water and splashed my face. The dream had been so real, I thought the wolf seemed familiar some how. It had blue eyes, the medallion around its neck, and my voice. Was it just me, or was the dream premonition? Was I really going to become an Animagi? Or was I just imagining things? I decided to leave it till morning, right now, I needed my sleep. I went back to bed quietly as not to wake anyone and climbed into bed. What a night, I couldn't get to sleep right away, but after that, no dream could scare me like that one did.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day donned grey and dreary. It looked as if God was having another bowling match with Mother Nature. The thunder clapped and lightning flashed all day. I thought I was going to go light sensitive from all the lightning. Domino didn't like the storm much either. She could usually be found either clutching onto my leg, or cutting off Suicune's air supply. Severus was at work all day, and didn't come home in time to help me with my lessons. I decided to practice the spells I already knew and wait for him to get home. All I could do really that day was summon flies to my hand and levitate their dead bodies until he got home. Domino was with Fawkes now, fiddling with her tulip, which she had gotten somehow from its vase.  
  
Fawkes was having a relatively easy time with Domino which came as a surprise to Suicune and me; she had been a pain to watch when she was with us. I was glad it was a Saturday so I could make sure Domino didn't get into trouble. Domino still had to wait a few weeks until she was able to go to preschool, beings Suicune and Fawkes had stuff to do with the Gods and Severus and I were gone at school and work. But today, I had the sudden urge to do something drastic. I had tried it dozens of times before, wondering if I could do it now would up my reputation as a witch. I was going to do it, I would try to become, an Animagi!  
  
* * *  
  
The day dragged on, while I, Red Phoenix, tried one of the most complicated spells in the wizarding world. I concentrated, worked hard. If only I could concentrate this hard on my homework. I sat on my bed muttering the spell, my wand pointed at my heart. I felt a slight tingle in my chest, and a sudden urge to hunt something. Wolf like instincts kicked in and its senses, sight, smell, hearing.  
  
I snapped my eyes open to find my self still in human form. I snapped my head toward the book lying open next to me. The successors of the spell will end up receiving the instincts and senses of the animal in which they are trying to become; this is a good indicator that there was success in the spell. The book read. I smiled, I had succeeded in a difficult branch of magic, or had I? Maybe I was able to get the senses, but not the whole nine yards. I shrugged; I would try to test it tomorrow. I had to get dinner ready before Severus got home, if he ever got home on time these days.  
  
* * *  
  
Monday came by sooner then I thought. It had dawned on me that morning that I had forgotten to test the Animagi spell the other night. I shrugged it off and decided I would test it later. School started pre usual, same old boring talks on the intercom in the morning same drills we had to go through in swimming, same old same old. But it was around lunch time did things start to get weird. For one thing, Ruth was accentually calm! Chris talked about homework, not a usual for Chris who always talked about either the Legend of Zelda or Dragonball Z or Sailor Moon. Brittany wasn't going demonic either! I was officially getting disturbed here. My friends were acting just the opposite of what they usually did, and school wasn't that hard this early in the year. "What is with you people?" I asked as they sat motionless, not including eating their lunches. "You're a bunch of vegetables!"  
  
I was beginning to get and get some Mt. Dew and tea bags when a gun shot rang out. That's when they jumped up, energized, and were going insane! "Will you calm down!" I snapped at them.  
  
"Make up your mind!" They yelled back. I looked at them in disgust.  
  
"Are you people forgetting that you have a daughter of Ra with you who can't die!? I can protect you people you know." They looked at me in horror; it was  
  
Ruth who broke the silence. "Erin, we can't let you do that, you need our help." I looked at them and just before I could reply, I remembered a dream I had back in 8th Grade. Osama bin Laden had taken over our school and were torturing poor kids including the teachers. We could hear screams of pain coming from the halls as I tried to remember the rest, but I had woken up before it ended, I didn't even get to battle bin Laden. Was that dream a premonition, or was it just a dream? I looked around the doorway from the where the screeches of pain were coming from. At least seven Taliban soldiers where coming toward the cafeteria, all of them wielding machine guns. I turned toward my friends, and they looked at me.  
  
An idea was beginning to form in my head, plain as day. I had seen a bunch of full paint cans on shelves in between the cafeteria and the soldiers. I remembered from the dream seeing Severus taking art lessons with a dark purple paint, the same color paint in the cans! The dream had been a premonition! I looked hard at the cans, so hard I could feel my head swell. My eyes began to glow a deep purple, darker then the paint. The shelves began to glow the same color, and they began to shake violently. Come on, tip over. I willed the shelves as the soldiers continued to come closer. Then with one swipe of my hand, the shelves tipped right onto the soldiers, covering then in a lovely shade of lavender. The whole school erupted in laughter.  
  
"Alright, who tipped the paint?" Growled the leader soldier, making the school shut up in an instant. I sneered. Time to have little fun I decided as they continued to walk towards us. Ok, something about a bungee cord. I remembered that there was a bungee cord in my dream, but I couldn't remember what they used it for. I looked around frantically for some kind of cord, a bungee of some sort. I saw nothing. Hold it, the bungee I remember the bungee in my dream looked like a chain, a really stretchy chain, like a type of dog leash. I looked at Chris. "Chris, do you think that you and Ruth can put these students to sleep somehow?" I asked her anxiously as she and Ruth fidgeted around. Chris looked at Ruth and Ruth looked at Chris, then they smiled and nodded. Quickly they dragged Brittany into the main part of the cafeteria and started to say something, like spell. I looked back the soldiers as they continued to advance toward me.  
  
Quickly, I transformed. My body became covered in white fur, I grew a wolf like tail, my snout lengthened and my teeth became sharp as razors. I had succeeded, I had become a wolf. I looked at the reflective door of the refrigerator to see a huge five foot tall white timber wolf look right back at me. The medallion was still around my neck, unchanged. I turned toward the soldiers. They were now within eye sight of me. They stood in shock at the sight of me, surprised to come across a full grown wolf in a Nebraskan high school. I stared at them with my vivid blue eyes, cold and ready to kill. I could hear several snores coming from behind me.  
  
"Well now it looks like Miss. Prazan has learned to become an Animagi." Said one of the soldiers. I growled menacingly, warning them not to come any closer. I lunged. But the soldier I was aiming for was quicker and hit me with the butt of his gun. I flew a few feet before smacking in to a wall. They laughed and continued to the cafeteria. I was really pissed this time. Anger welled inside of me like never before. My eyes glowed a menacing yellow, same with my claws and medallion.  
  
I lunged again, yelling "STRIKE LASER CLAW!!" The soldier swung his gun at me again, but instead of hitting me, my claws ripped through the gun as if it was made of paper. The soldier screamed as I made contact with his chest. Blood splurged every where. I had hit his heart most likely, and had killed him. He fell, twitching, until he didn't move anymore. I stood there, stunned. I had killed someone. My breath came in short gasps, and I could tell I would be pale as death if I was in my human form.  
  
The students gathered around at the sound of the scream. I felt a hand on my back as Severus stood next to me. The Ministry had come and was erasing the minds of the people who saw me kill the soldier and transform. There had only been six so I didn't get into any trouble. I wasn't feeling too well, though. I was shaky and pale after I transformed, my pupils had gone small, and I was gasping for air. It wasn't the attack I did that did it, it was the actual killing that sent me over the edge.  
  
* * *  
  
Severus took me home after I was registered as an Animagi. I felt too sick to continue school that day, I felt like I was going to throw up any moment, I did twice. Ruth called me when she got home that day to see if I was alright. I was shaky when I answered and accepted her proposal to come over to visit that day. Ruth arrived a few minutes later, her Zelda game tucked under her arm. As we sat and played Nintendo, the shock was beginning to wear off. Ruth looked at me in hope that I wouldn't break down, which I didn't. I smiled weakly at her, and she smiled back. I was glad for the company, but when a familiar voice came to my ears thanks to my new improved senses, I told Ruth to turn the volume down.  
  
She paused the game and we both snuck up the stairs to behind the closed door. That was when I heard it, Entei's voice. It was angry and I knew it wasn't the best day for Ruth to be there. "I don't know what you're talking about Severus, how can she not like to kill?"  
  
"Are you forgetting that Prazanaznis didn't like war? She despised it, and she didn't like to kill." Came Fawkes' angry reply as Entei scrapped his claws on the linoleum, making scratch marks I could tell. Severus stayed silent unless he was asked to agree with someone, that someone being mostly Fawkes, as she had my best interests on her mind, Entei didn't really care if I didn't like to kill or not, he just wanted bin Laden dead. I gave Ruth my now-you-know-what-I-have-to-put-up-with-everyday look; she nodded her head in agreement.  
  
"Entei," Said Severus, "I think Fawkes has a point, Erin was pale, shaky, gasping for breath after she killed that guy, she even threw up twice. I'm thinking just let her cool down; I'll talk to her later this evening." Entei gave an angry growl and then it was quiet, Entei had teleported. I gave Ruth a help me look, she looked back with a pitied look on her face.  
  
* * *  
  
It was shortly after dinner did Severus talk to me. He said it was alright to kill, as long as it was the right people. "Your used to killing, you used to be a Death Eater." Severus went pale, all the color in his face gone.  
  
"I really wish you didn't bring that up." He said finally, "But you are right, I am used to it. I think tomorrow I'll teach you Avada Kedavra, if you're up to it that is." I nodded slowly and hugged him, glad he was so father like and not like Entei. 


	14. Dogma: the Stallion of Death

Chapter 13 Dogma: The Stallion of Death  
  
Severus sent me back to school several days later, now that I wasn't having any nightmares. Killing the guy had worn off quicker then I thought, I had actually realized later that it was kinda fun. Sick I know but I wanted my parents back and I was willing to kill for them. Severus had taken me hunting the other day and I had some fun trying to shoot down animals with my bow. (Amongst my powers, I had the power to create an archery set made from light like Yue from Card captors.)  
  
My friends stayed quiet about Monday, even though I was over it. The other students didn't even know it was me, which they thought I was gone because I was really scared, which they didn't say anything knowing I had seen Frank wet himself, so I knew he wouldn't say anything about it. The week went on until Memorial Day, which meant no more pool. That made me ticked, even though I was in swim class at school.  
  
Severus was quite lax about me going out now a days that he hardly noticed me around the house I was gone so many times, either walking to the mall, going to the movies, or just taking a walk. Severus never really cared now that knew how to defend myself, which just in case I would always carry my wand with me. Fall was fast approaching and I knew soon I would have to hang up my walking shoes and get out my snow boots. Event though the weather in Omaha was a little crazy, that didn't mean winter might not come early. Last year it took until late November for the weather to get cold and three days before Christmas for it to snow. September 11 came and went with a memorial special on ABC to commemorate the victims of 9/11.  
  
October came with Halloween, and me nearly getting killed by Chris' cousin Scotty because I beat him in making a Link costume. November then rolled around with one of my favorite holidays, my birthday! I was finally turning 15 and was closer to getting my learners permit. The day of my birthday, November 14th, dawned bright and new, the sun was shining and I was ready to party! I was having a party that weekend and was taking my friends to go see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Severus went to the movie in a different theater so he wouldn't embarrass me. Bin Laden was a little more polite during this time, allowing my parents to send me gifts. I got an ocarina from Dad and a necklace from Mom.  
  
I was sorta mad that bin Laden had my parent's captive during my mom's birthday in July, but he had allowed me to send her a book for her birthday. It was by one of her favorite authors of course, to help her pass the time in custody. I was still pissed that they wouldn't be here for Christmas when the rest of the family was coming, and I really missed them. Severus had let me have a couple friends spend the night for my party; Michelle, Ruth, and Chris were the ones I chose.  
  
It was fun during my party; even though I wasn't too keen on seeing the movie beings I didn't like it when Harry got into all that trouble. Although, I had to admit, it was pretty funny to see Prof. Lockhart get his butt whooped by pixies. The days were uneventful after that. They lagged on as if we were waiting for school to get out. The dreams that I had got more realistic and more action packed. One was when a large demon like horse, breathing death upon evil, saved me from what looked like an Angel of Death. If I could remember, his name would always be the same, meaning he was always the same horse, Dogma.  
  
I could never see what he looked like, except his eyes, which were a very pale yellow and looked as if they came from a snake. I could barely see a horn on his head, the darkness was so intense. I could always tell that he was a horse by the way he smelled, sounded, and felt. At the end of the dream, I would be riding on his back, and feeling the beating of wings on my legs. Then, as we landed, the dream would end, with him always saying the same words, 'We will meet soon, Prazanaznis.' At this point, I would wake up in a cold sweat.  
  
Severus would never believe me when I told him that I thought my dreams were premonitions, he would just say that it was nonsense and tell me to leave him alone so he could get his work done. My friends didn't even believe me, Chris, who was an expert on demons, would say there was no such things as demons in the form of horses on Earth. I didn't say anything about how he killed people, though. All he did was breathe on them and they would fall over dead. I was lead to believe he was evil at the beginning of my first dream with him. Dogma became kind hearted and good natured after he warded off the Taliban and Angel of Death. He never said anything until the end, but the way he acted was kind, but familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before. I would put it out of my mind for awhile until I had the dream again. Then I would be befuddled all over again.  
  
Christmas vacation finally came, and it was actually snowing! Unlike last year, where it was spring temperature until the 23rd of December. Christmas cheer was spreading, even Severus caught the bug. He smiling like there was no tomorrow, probably because he was off work for two weeks. Fawkes, Suicune, and Domino never celebrated Christmas before and were quite interested about what it was. I had explained the whole nine yards to them six times before they understood it, which I wasn't surprised beings Domino was an orphan and Fawkes and Suicune worshipped Egyptian gods and goddess's. And when Christmas came around, you could only imagine the looks on there faces when they saw they had presents under the tree.  
  
Severus had gotten me a book, Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them, which was wonderful for me beings I was very interested about them, it even talked about the creatures that it missed in the Muggle version, like the boggart and the dementor. Domino got me a bracelet with small charms that looked like dragons and unicorns. Fawkes got me a beautiful, handcrafted fan with hieroglyphs written in gold and was adorned with a pictograph of Ra and Heresoto with Prazanaznis. Suicune got me a gold necklace with my name in hieroglyphs. It was the present from Entei that just shot me over the edge. It was a book of hieroglyphs and their translations, plus it had a whole section talking about how to write names and sentences in hieroglyphs, and it showed how to pronounce words as well.  
  
Now I had been to bookstores and by the look of the book I'd say it was the only one in existence. I put the book next to my computer so I could try to teach myself how to read hieroglyphs and how to speak Ancient Egyptian.  
  
Christmas came and went, people where getting ready for the New Year. Severus had surprised me with two tickets for him and myself to go to New York City to watch the ball drop in Rockefeller Center. It was great to watch the ball. New York was cold but it had been fun to go see the Central Park Zoo and Ground Zero, where I had entered a contest to find out whose idea for a memorial would win. I did win, with the added bonus of $5,000 as prize money, for my savings account, although I did buy a special New York Pokemon Center Game Boy Advanced. We stayed for a few more days until the day before I had to back to school. I had brought home New York Pokemon Center chocolates for all my friends and a few Game Boy Mini's for them as well and their games.  
  
School continued as pre usual when I got back. The teachers were very nice and I liked them a lot. They all thanked me for the gifts I got them, which it was a tradition to get my teachers Christmas gifts. The school bullies were always the same, teasing and prodding me, always calling me names, while I would insult their mothers' right back, and run like mad before they caught me. In Team Study, our teacher would let us listen to music as long as we had headphones. I could usually be found listening to Enya or swing music, those types of music always helped me concentrate on my studies.  
  
I liked high school a lot better then I did the other schools I've been to, the only draw back was all the homework, I had a pile of homework every night, and thank God for Fawkes' Einstein like brains, cause if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't get my work done. Domino was having a great time in preschool, she had met a few kids her age who had a lot of fun with, she always enjoyed talking to us about it, although she was a little peeved at us for sending her to live with my grandparents in Iowa while we were in New York City.  
  
* * *  
  
The fun ended one day while I was sitting in the school lobby for Severus to come pick me up, I had to stay after to help with printing of this weeks "Mustang Weekly" which hosted my article 'My Point of View'. I was working on homework to at least get some of it out of the way, when suddenly, a scream waked through the entire building. I shot my head up to see five Taliban soldiers coming towards me. Oh grief, not again. I thought to myself as I prepared to throw a fire ball at them. But before I could make a move, soldier jumped me from behind, pinning me to the ground with my hands behind my back. "Nice try Miss. Prazan, you won't be so lucky like you were last time." Growled one of the men as he bent down to try and take the medallion off my neck. But as he grabbed it, he reeled back in pain.  
  
"It burned me, it burned me! She's bewitched it, I say! Kill her!" Quicker they could have thought possible I transformed and sunk my teeth into the neck of the man holding me. He died instantly, I didn't care, and I was over that little weakness. I got up and dang me if I had been quicker they wouldn't have gotten me, but just as I was getting up, one of them hit me over the head with the butt of his gun. I fell to the floor, stunned, and back in my human form. But before he could throw a final swack at me, a huge creature pushed him out of the way. I could feel a horn pushing up on my chest, helping me up, I was still a little shaky and my vision was a little blurry but I was fine. The creature I could tell was in horse form, with large wings, pale eyes, and a horn. I placed my hand on his silky black shoulder to get my balance while my vision came back. When I got full control of my eyes again, I could see all of the soldiers dead on the ground, unscathed and with a look of surprise on their faces. I looked at the creature next to me. What I saw made me gasp.  
  
Standing next to me was a huge horse. He had large wings which I could guess reached a good 14 foot wingspan. He looked like a Friesian, a French breed of draft horse. His black horn spiraled a good three feet in the air. His eyes looked as if they came from a snake. A saddle adorned with small bones and skulls sat on his, made from black leather, and fastened in the front with a breast plate, also adorned with small bones. On the front of the breast plate was a solid black Scarab beetle. His bridal was fashioned the same way, minus the Scarab beetle. Protruding from his mouth were two small fangs. He looked at me through his long mane with those eyes, oh those eyes, always pondering, questioning. "Are you Prazanaznis?" He asked with the flare of Severus.  
  
I nodded in agreement, "Yeah but you can just call me Erin, if you want."  
  
The Horse smiled and bowed regally, "My name is Dogma, the Elemental of Death, but don't let my title fool you. I'm actually a nice guy." I reached up and patted Dogma on the head. "Fawkes sent me to pick you up from school after Severus sent an owl saying he'd be late. I'm also going to be your new house mate." He replied after I lowered my hand to my side.  
  
"And may I ask how you killed the soldiers." He nodded and started to explain. He could control an enzyme in his trachea that made his breathe poisonous, killing victims instantly. He even had the power to make his eyes like a Basilisk, for whoever looked into them would die instantly. I nodded in understanding. And with that, I grabbed my stuff and climbed onto his back. Within minutes we were outside, flying through the air like birds.  
  
"Dogma, long time no see." Said Suicune as Dogma went into his Earthly form as a regular horse.  
  
"Same here Sui. Ah, Fawkes how have you been doing?" Fawkes I could tell was fidgeting.  
  
"I'm fine now that I know Erin is safe. I'm glad it was you I sent and not Hershey. God knows he's not ready to fight in a battle, even after 50,000 years. I mean he's died once already." This was where I got confused. What did they mean died once already? Dogma saw the expression on my face and took the liberty of explaining it to me. Elementals were special horses Siriushotep owned and raised, each representing an element, hence the name. They all had the power of their element plus being able to change into a regular horse. Elementals were immortal, only being able to be killed and not die of old age.  
  
If that ever happened, the elemental would be reborn as a baby. They would remain the same horse, only portrayed at a different age. When they are old enough, they will inherit the medallion in a dream which gave them their power. There was one for each Sage, holding the power of his or her master or mistress. They are sworn to protect and carry their masters into battle. They are also supposed to protect the Sage's offspring.  
  
Another thing I learned from Dogma was that he was the only Elemental to never be killed. All the others have been killed at least ten times, except for his nephew Hershey, who died once. Dogma was Siriushotep's most proclaimed warrior, he had never lost a battle. However, Dogma battled involuntarily. He, like the Death Unicorns he ruled over, never liked war, they hated it. Dogma never liked war and he especially didn't like it during the Civil War and the World Wars. "Too many deaths." He said, "My Death Unicorns were working over time, no breaks. They were working day in and day out, bringing in poor dead souls that where killed by the war or by Hitler. Dogma shook his head in disgust. "When Hitler shot himself, I took care of him personally. I let him rot in hell with Satan, which was exactly what that bitch disserved."  
  
* * *  
  
The weeks went by with Dogma at my side now. Fawkes and Dogma would continuously follow me around the house unless 1.) I wanted to be alone and 2.) When I was taking a shower. Dogma was a huge help with homework, including Algebra, which was torture. With his knowledge over the 50,000 years he was alive, I would have been surprised if he hadn't learned anything. 


	15. Artemis C Snape: Severus' Step Father Vi...

Chapter 14 Artemus C. Snape Severus' Step Father Visits  
  
The weeks wore on. Spring Vacation was just around the corner and with that was Summer Vacation soon after. I was looking forward to summer vacation were I could finally swim for fun and not work, plus it was the season were I took Driver's Ed. I would finally be getting my driver's license. And with that, came the summer job. I had decided to work at Hy- Vee with Chris and Ruth as Bag Girls; we would be in charge of filling grocery bags. I needed the money in order to pay for insurance for the car when I got my license when I turned six teen later that year. And with this going on, there would come a time where things never seemed to go wrong, when I wondered if bin Laden was taking care of my parents, and if he would attack me one of these days when I least expected it. During this time of thought, I would chase it away by drawing the super heroine I made up, Red Phoenix.  
  
She was amazing in all respects, she was beautiful, smart, and had a lot of super powers. She could even take on the super powers of other super heroes. Like the super strength and X-ray vision of Superman, the spider senses and sticky fingers of Spiderman, even the ability to communicate with the fishes like Aquaman. She could fly, but needed the help of special wings on her feet. I would draw and write adventure stories about her, wishing that someday I could actually be like her.  
  
Severus and Fawkes thought I was mentally unstable thinking I could be this hero that I had made up. Dogma applauded my efforts to try to be someone great. But one thing still bugged me. On the day I met Dogma, the soldier grabbed my medallion, which he said burned him and said I bewitched it; however, I didn't bewitch it. At this point my head hurt so bad I could barely think. All the studying I had to do for science and math were torture enough, I decided to put the thinking aside and continue with my work, I decided that this being my final years in school, I'd better get a good record so I could get into a top line college.  
  
* * *  
  
It was one day when Dogma and Severus were at the Ministry when I got an urgent owl from his mother. It read:  
  
Dear Severus,  
  
I would like to inform you that your step father, Artemus C. Snape, will be visiting you and your family next week. He would like to see how your new "Daughter's" are doing. Please keep in touch.  
  
Madame Lucia R. Snape  
  
P.s. I would also advise you to keep those girls healthy and strong while he's there, or he will personally place them in a Children's Home!  
  
I was so pissed you could have just breathed and I would be on you like condors to a dead carcass. His own mother and father, not trusting their own flesh and blood? That was the saddest thing I ever heard. Immediately I wrote an owl to Severus telling him what happened. About twenty minutes after I sent it, I got a reply.  
  
Dear Erin,  
  
I have only three words to say to you. Yep, we're screwed.  
  
Severus  
  
P.S. Here's an idea, make him think you are such the perfect little angels that you totally freak him out!  
  
After that, I wrote yet another letter plainly saying:  
  
Severus,  
  
Are you drunk? That is the most idiotic idea I've ever heard! But don't worry, I have an idea. I'll tell you tonight when you get home for dinner.  
  
Erin  
  
P.S. Also I would like to confirm that I will prefer to stay away from physical contact except for hugging for a few years. Thank you, don't get drunk now.  
  
P.S.S. And when I mean physical contact, I mean no kissing!  
  
I had been waiting for month's to get the courage to say that to Severus, and as I watched the owl fly through the window, I felt even more invincible. I walked downstairs to find Domino sitting at the kitchen table, drawing on a piece of paper. When I looked over her shoulder I found her drawing a picture of the family, Severus, me, Dogma, Fawkes, herself, the hamsters, Sunbeams, Blizzard, and Suicune. The drawing was set by the piano in the family room, a piece of sheet music on it. I could tell by the tiny print on the paper it was my mom's favorite thing to play on the piano, The Tarantella. I patted her on the back for her good work and went to go find Sunny (Sunbeams' nickname) for her afternoon walk. As I walked down the street I noticed a small piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up and discovered it was a news article. It read:  
  
New York, NY- The days of September 11th still run through the minds of all Americans since bin Laden was found off the coast of Newfoundland but was able to evade capture. Police and the FBI say that he is after 15 year old Erin Prazan, whose parents were kidnapped by bin Laden last summer. Miss. Prazan's other encounters with Taliban was the invasion of her high school, Millard North High, last year, when one of the soldiers was mysteriously killed by a fatal blow to the chest. The cause of death is still unknown. Miss. Prazan still lives in her home in the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Reports from her foster father, a Mr. Severus Snape, say that she is a wonderful and healthy girl and is currently top of her studies at school. Bin Laden on the other hand is currently out of the sights of the public. Citizens of America are asked to keep a look out for bin Laden, if sighted call your local authorities.  
  
So bin Laden was still after my blood, well now we can't have that now can we? I tugged on Sunny's leash telling her it was time to go home and get dinner ready so I could tell Severus of my plan, plus I still had to think of it! Truth be told I didn't have clue of how to teach his father a little trust.  
  
On the way home I was simply going to have to figure it out, also when I was fixing dinner. As I was tossing together a salad, with the help of Domino, my mind twisted and churned with thoughts and ideas, waiting for the perfect plan to come to my head. Then finally as I stirred the soup, it came to me. Another letter from his mother said that his father would come next Tuesday. As I read that an idea popped in to my head. I was simply going to have to take matters into my own hands. I knew what I was going to do.  
  
* * *  
  
Severus slumped into the chair across me as I severed the soup and salad. "So what's this big idea you have?" He asked as he spooned soup into his bowl.  
  
"Simple, I do all the work. I'll be cleaning, cooking; I'll even be telling Domino how to act and what to say. We will act like perfect little angels, just not too perfect. I think your father needs to learn a little trust. Don't you agree Dogma?" Dogma nodded his head in agreement. I smiled. "Don't worry boys, Momma will take care of everything." A devilish glint caught in my eye as I said this.  
  
* * *  
  
Monday whirled around like a merry-go-round. Domino had been given lessons on etiquette and what to say and not to say. She acted as if she came from a rich family and was born to behave. The house was vacuumed and dusted until the tabletops shined and the pictured frames glistened. The snacks were hidden behind the practical stuff like peanut butter so it looked like we where having a balanced diet, and not rotting our brains on sugars.  
  
The linoleum in the kitchen was waxed and cleaned so it shined like a new car. I even did the laundry, cleaned my room, and made Domino take a bath that night and the next morning. And if anyone walked over the threshold with their shoes on, they were going to get their ass whooped. As for Suicune and Fawkes, they went to the palace of the gods to stay there for the week. Blizzard and Sunny were primped and groomed so their feathers and fur shone. You couldn't believe all the brushing I had to do on Sunny's coat so I could get all the dead hair off.  
  
On the day of his dad's arrival, Severus took an excuse from work so he could be around so everything ran smoothly. Which when he told me this all I could do was roll my eyes. Artemus Snape was exactly as I pictured him. Straight, proper, his hair slicked back, his mustache trimmed, and his robes perfect and pressed. His shoes were shined and he carried a large perfect suitcase, stamped with the letters: A.C.S  
  
* * *  
  
Dinner that night was wonderful. Mr. Snape was actually a very nice man. He didn't make any rude comments about having Dogma or about the animals and how we looked. He was very polite and took a quick liking to Domino and me. I, however, remained in my room for most of the time anyway while he was here.  
  
* * *  
  
It was the second to last night of his visit; I had cooked steaks for everyone, except Domino who was lucky enough to go out to eat with Tawny Sandwick from next door. Severus and his father were in an argument about me as usual. This time they were discussing my social manners. So far I had stayed in my room for about his whole visit so he wouldn't fawn over me like he did when I was in the room. "Artemus, she like's to be alone. She was like this before I even moved in."  
  
"And how do you know that?"  
  
"Because her friends told me. Honestly, I never teach her this stuff, she is naturally like this. Even ask Dogma. He knows her better then I do."  
  
"He knows her better then you do because your never home!"  
  
"I'm at work during the."  
  
"Oh will you two shut up!" Both men looked at me, stunned. I was fuming. I hated being fawned over, I hated that my best friend was being criticized for something he didn't do. "I would prefer if you two got along for once." I snapped at them. "You're father and son for crying out loud. You're grown men, why don't you act like you are?" They silently turned back to their meal. They remained silent through the rest of it and listened to me as I told them the story about how Domino came to us.  
  
When Domino came home that night from Tawny's, she asked why everyone was so quiet. I told her I had told them off for fighting; they had been quiet ever since. Mr. Snape left the next day, saying his visit had been more pleasant then he thought it would be, and with a flick of his wand, he was gone. "Thank God that's over with." I said as I flopped down on to the recliner.  
  
"You can say that again." Agreed Severus as he winked at me. "But I think we convinced him that I'm fine raising you two wonderful girls." He continued as he took both Domino and I into a hug bear hug. He never even spoke about what else I had written in my reply to him the day I received word that his father was visiting. 


	16. Fire Bird: Debut of the Red Phoenix

Chapter 15 Fire Bird: The Debut of the Red Phoenix  
  
Days go by and still no attack from bin Laden, I was beginning to think he had turned chicken, knowing of how I had killed two of his best men. Fighting came to me more like chore, it was harder to learn how to fight then it was to learn how to do Algebra. It had taken weeks for Entei and Severus to teach me how to do a proper roll out. But I became quicker and more agile as I continued to learn, I even began to take on Ruth, Kristine, and Erika, who knew Tae Quan Doe and Judo. Sword fighting came next, which I had the great pleasure of battling Ruth at.  
  
Homework was just as bad, it was piling up so we could study for our finals. I hated finals, the teachers would always give you more work then you needed and never gave you breaks on weekends, do they expect students to do homework on the weekends, are they crazy? Finally, Summer Vacation drew near, the finals were almost done for the year, and I couldn't wait to get to the pool. Another thing I was looking forward to was the release of the second Harry Potter movie to video and DVD. It would be great to watch it over and over again. Severus seemed more anxious for the summer as well; he was getting the whole time off from work and wouldn't be bugged all day by his boss. I knew it wouldn't have happened when Voldemort was in power and I was glad he was just a bunch of hot gas.  
  
* * *  
  
Domino was growing up really fast, it was around this time she was able to read and write better then I could, so I gave up reading her stories at bedtime. Domino even started to keep a diary, something I never really got around to. I never really felt like writing about my day when nothing really happened beings I sat around and did nothing all day. I still drew and wrote about the Red Phoenix, like I always did, always wishing to be her.  
  
I had taken to waking up at about two in the morning and teleporting to Chris' house. I would then join her in spell casting. I had gotten terribly good at spells I didn't know what to do with myself. Severus had gotten around to teaching me the Killing Curse after the first attack, but I never really used it. I didn't dare, if the Ministry ever got wind, I would never hear the end of it from Rita Skeeter, the so called news reporter.  
  
* * *  
  
The days grew warmer and longer as the last day of school grew near. All the students were anxiously waiting for the bell to ring on the last day. Then finally it let out with a huge ring! School was over for the summer at last! I ran home as fast as I could after I cleared out what was left of my locker. I knew I had a new game with my name on it. Severus had hinted that he would buy me a new video game as a gift for finishing 9th Grade.  
  
The game was Zoid Saga for Game Boy Advance. I was so happy I gave Severus a great big kiss on the cheek. Domino had gotten a new book, 1000 Spells for Tots. "A classic." Severus said as Domino opened it up for the first time. "Thank you Severus." Domino replied as she gave him a big hug. I was lying on the loveseat in the living room as Domino sat down and started to read her new book. Severus sat at my feet and took out the book of Shakespeare I had given him for Christmas. He had been very surprised to find out I knew he liked the guy. I never told him how, I just had a hunch.  
  
Now that school was out I was glad to get back in to the old groove. I would hop onto my bike everyday and go to the pool. And after I got tired of swimming, I would head home. I would then slump into my computer chair and chat with my pals or chat on the phone. Every once and a while I would spend the night at either Ruth or Chris' house or they would come over to my house. I went to horse camp for a week and then quit. It was my last year there; I was officially retired from horse camp. It was either that or be a junior counselor for a couple weeks in steaming hot weather. I liked horses, but mot that much.  
  
I knew the summer wouldn't last as long as I thought beings I was looking forward to that year. I would be turning six teen and would be eligible to finally go out on a date. I knew I would really find the right guy at the start, but I would never know unless I looked. But another thing was on my mind in the beginning of the summer. When bin Laden would strike next and where. I was beginning to also think; maybe becoming the Red Phoenix would come true after all if I knew the right techniques.  
  
* * *  
  
It was the Fourth of July weekend. Everyone was getting ready by buying fireworks and buying enough Bar Bee Que supplies to last them a year. Me, I got ready my making sure all of my American T-Shirts were clean and I was caught up on really good specials that there would be on TV. Severus didn't really care, I couldn't blame him beings he was British. Domino didn't really understand the importance of Independence Day, so she wasn't too syked about it. Dogma had been around when the Americans won independence from Britain, he was one of the horses used in the war, so he knew how much the holiday meant to me. But another thing on everyone's mind was where was bin Laden? He hadn't made contact with the public since I had heard he was on the continent. Dogma was getting a little fidgety, so was Fawkes. Suicune had always been care free so she didn't see the problem at hand.  
  
* * *  
  
It was nearing the end of July; school was just around the corner. I had a lot fun during the summer having our annual party, were my friends came over. I had continued to write my stories, which my friends took great pleasure in reading. I still had no word from Mystical, as it so turned out she wasn't moving to Omaha. Her father had found a new job in her town and they didn't move. I figured it was for the best, beings she still had friends at her old home. As for my strange family, they still cared for me as if I was their own flesh and blood. Domino was about to go to her first day in elementary school at Harvey Oaks, the school that I went to. Severus got upped to the head of his department. I had even gotten a job, not as a bagger, but as an entertainer. I had gotten a job as a DJ's assistant. I would help him load his equipment and help with requests. Once we had to go to one of Kiki's parties.  
  
I was about ready to quit my job when my boss told me where we were to perform next. Luckily my boss heard about all the stuff Kiki had said about my friends so he gave me the night off. I was glad for that. That way I wouldn't have to face Kanisha after a little milk incident where I poured milk on her new perm and Puff Daddy T- Shirt. She looked as of she was in a fight with cow and lost. I often thought about that incident, and every time I would start giggling. Even though I had some funny thought's I would still think about bin Laden and his evil plots. There were nights I could swear I could hear footsteps in the hallways and I could hear the door opening. I would usually shrug it off but not without checking the hallways. During this time I would wonder if maybe, the Red Phoenix would soon make her debut.  
  
* * *  
  
August 3, 2003. It was almost the school year and still no word from bin Laden. I was getting nervous, jumping at every small noise; I almost hit a kid when he snuck up behind me. I had taken to running and bike riding to calm my nerves and release some energy. Training became even more critical to my well being. Not only was my magical strength rising but also my physical strength. I could lift things far greater then I had been able to a year ago. I could also jump higher, swim faster, even run quicker then I could think possible. My reflexes became quicker. I even learned the art of flying. I even learned I could make creatures come real from paintings and statues. My friends were also able to notice a change in me beings I was no longer lazy and ate like there was no tomorrow.  
  
During the night I would focus my magical energy in to the power to become the Red Phoenix and up my power. I had concentrated on a drawing I had made last year of what I thought the Phoenix would look like. She had a red skin tight costume, which ended in puffy sleeves and gold bands on her wrists. Her hands were covered in white gloves. A breast plate made of gold covered her breasts and abdominal area. It was as light as a feather, movable like elastic, and as strong as dragon hide. She also wore a pair of gold thigh high, high heeled boots. She wore a red belt with a gold buckle in the shape of a phoenix, which held up a bird tail like loin cloth. Two strips of cloth connected the wrist bands to a gold band on her neck.  
  
Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail held with a red scrunchy, and on her head she had a very cool head set. It had a red screen over the eyes like Sailor Mercury's visor. Holding it up was a gold head band, which ended in two red wing-like extensions which had a double role, as a communicator, and as a portable music player. Enemies power levels and a communicator screen would be shown on the visor along with maps and information that would be needed by the wearer. In all aspects, I thought the Red Phoenix was the coolest super heroine to ever walk the face of the planet.  
  
* * *  
  
Finally, five days before school started. I was nervous to be entering the tenth grade. I was also wondering when I would ever find a guy to tide me over until Sirius came along. I didn't really know if I would ever meet the dude in my life time or if I met Sirius before then, or if Sirius would like me at all, one of the many things that still haunted me. Severus had been scary enough with that little episode last year, which was one of the scarier points in life with him. I didn't really know if I was safe around him on the days work had been hard on him and he decided to go to the bar to take a loads off, you never know when he might come home drunk. Another thing I didn't really want to think about.  
  
Four days before school started, things had dulled. Bin Laden was still being a chicken, I was so bored I could wrestle a gator (Not really but you get my drift). Severus and the others were equally anxious, they too wanted action. I would usually fight Chris in the astroplane to keep up my fighting skills, either that or Ruth to hone my sword fighting skills. I had taken up tai chi as a hobby to keep myself busy as I waited for bin Laden to strike. Days passed without so much as news from bin Laden, although I knew he was getting anxious as well as us.  
  
Finally, one day. One day till school. I was walking in the park when I heard a rustling in the leaves behind me. I shrugged it off thinking it was a rabbit or bird. But before you could say "9/11", a Taliban soldier jumped me. "Bad move pal!" I yelled as I flipped over his head and kicked him in the side of the head. I was about to punch him in the stomach when two other soldiers jumped me from behind.  
  
"Well, well, well. Look what we caught in our net boys, a daughter of Ra." I started to shake at the sound of the voice that came behind me. I was turned around to face the new comer. Bin Laden.  
  
"What are you doing here in a suburb?" I asked. Surely he wasn't stupid enough to kill a kid in broad day light in the middle of a neighborhood.  
  
"I only came to take what was rightfully mine. If you cooperate I'll think about letting your parents go." My mind searched his, wondering. Then I found what I looking for. Information on my parents. They were still alive. They were sitting in a cell as this was all happening. I stood shaking in the arms of the soldiers as bin Laden came closer to me, his hand reaching. I knew I wouldn't have to worry; the medallion would burn anyone who wasn't the direct descendant of Ra. Bin Laden's hand wrapped around the medallion, but after a few seconds he let go with a cry of pain. I could briefly see his hand, blistered and red and looking nasty. He was sweating it was hurting so bad. "What happened?" He asked in what was supposed to be his most dangerous voice, which could have used some work. I shrugged, pretending I had no idea to what he was talking about. He too, was now shaking. My shaking soon subsided as he took out a thick dragon hide glove and put it on his good hand. He once again began to reach for my chest.  
  
But before he could get a hold of it, I yelled as loud as I could, "PHOENIX TRANSFORMATION POWER!" The two soldiers still holding me let go in shock as I was enveloped in flame. I felt my clothes changing, becoming tighter and a headset wrapped around my head. When the flame died down, I looked down, and started to laugh. It had worked, my transformation had worked. I was now the Red Phoenix, I had been working on it for weeks. The medallion had let loose a bunch of flame that transformed me into the heroine I had created. The soldiers stood perplexed at the sight of me. One was even foolish enough to try and fight me. I concentrated my power to my right hand, until a purple glow appeared in my hand. I squeezed on it until it became a three foot blade. It glowed as I swung it at the soldier, slashing off his hand off. He groped in pain as he searched for his severed hand, while I stood with my eye on bin Laden and his other two clowns.  
  
The soldier to his left began to raise his gun, but as he was doing this, a pair of short, small wings appeared on my feet along with my high heeled boots changing into flat cushioned running boots like the Flash. Before he began to pull the trigger, I was at his side and swung a well aimed punch to his face, breaking his nose. Bin Laden at this time had seen enough and was running toward a chopper in the middle of the corn field. "Where are you going, bin Laden? You can't hide from me for long I said as I started to run at 90 mph. He was smarter then he looked, as he Apparated to his helicopter before I was able to get to him. It took off to the skies, the pilot and passenger thinking they had me beat, but I had another trick up my sleeves.  
  
* * *  
  
My high heels returned and the wings on my feet lengthened. I started to hover about three feet off the ground. I grinned as I kicked off with immense force and started to fly at high speeds after the chopper. I was even surprised at myself for flying so fast, the wind whipping through my ponytail and bangs as I continued to follow. They were headed to an old abandoned warehouse about six miles from town, which I still continued to follow, hot on their trail. They landed and ran inside, thinking they could dodge me, oh how wrong they were. I landed next to the chopper, which I immediately blasted off the tail and propeller. Happy with my work to keep them from escaping, I continued toward the warehouse, cautious not to set off any alarms. I blasted the door open to see bin Laden and his pilot hovering over something.  
  
In front of them were six kids all looking familiar. I psychically brought up the magnification sequence on my visor to take a better look at the kids. Two were nothing but mind less zombies from my seventh period math class last year, and the rest were my friends! Ruth, Chris, Brittany, Michelle! I gasped. "You're playing pretty dirty!" I snapped at bin Laden as he took a knife from his pocket and began to aim for Ruth's heart. Quicker then the eye could see I blocked bin Laden's attack on Ruth and took the knife full in the chest. I screamed in pain as blood spurted from my chest. I yanked the knife from my chest and punched bin Laden in the face. I stopped momentarily to let my chest heal, which it summoned all my blood back and sealed my chest and costume back up. "Nice try bin Laden, but I was thinking that the attack on me earlier would sharpen you up to my abilities." Bin Laden didn't move, he just looked at me, stunned. I once again came up with the beam sword. I posed it above his heart, ready to stab it into him. Just then, out of nowhere, a huge blast racquet through the entire building, throwing me against the wall. I as I tried to get up, I noticed a figure in the smoke running for the door, I once again tried to get off the floor, but I couldn't due to a huge pillar falling on. It took me a good five minutes to get the thing off me, which during this time bin Laden had Apparated out of there back to Afghanistan. I cut my friends loose and grabbed the heads of the other two. Their eyes rolled back in their heads, and they zonked out.  
  
"What did you do?" Asked Chris as she messaged her wrists were the chains and ropes were cutting into her.  
  
"I just erased their memories and made them fall asleep, no big." I held fast to their arms, having my friends grab onto me. With all my power, I teleported them all home, and collapsed in front of my own home. I crawled inside, my costume still on. The rest of them looked at me in shock at my new look.  
  
"What happened to you? And where did you get that cool outfit?" Asked Suicune as I slumped onto the couch. I told them the entire story, right down to every last detail, which all they could do was sit and listen with anticipation. I had decided to keep my powers strong and healthy; I would become a super hero. I would be like the Powerpuff Girls and save the world before bedtime. 


	17. The Visitors from the Stars

Chapter 16 The Visitors from the Stars  
  
School had finally started, and it was harder then last year. It figured beings it was tenth grade and not ninth. Every now and then I would fly around the city looking for crime. One a found a murder in progress and easily stopped it, I also stopped a raping, a robbery, and a shooting. Once the mayor got wind, we got a call saying he was willing to hire me to protect the city. Every time there was trouble, he would give us a call on the Phoenix Line. And I would be there in less then 3 min. Life was good, the problem to my new life as a super hero was I wasn't supposed to let anyone but my friends know of who the Red Phoenix really was, so I couldn't save anyone during the school days. I figured out a way for this problem. Dogma would take on my form and save the world for me. As an Elemental, he had the ability to shape shift.  
  
* * *  
  
Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into longer weeks. Severus was gone longer at work then we thought, always getting up at six and not coming home until ten every night. I barely remembered what he looked like. It wasn't until the weekends when I ever saw his face, when I was still up late at night. Domino never saw Severus anymore when he got home except one night when he actually came home early. The office had a slight fire and they had to evacuate the building so the fire could be put out. Luckily for him, the unimportant forms he had to fill out to buy a useless piece of crap, (He never told me what) were burned and couldn't be rewritten. So he got the rest of the night off. Bin Laden, we heard had left the country and headed back to Afghanistan, as we hoped to never bother us again.  
  
* * *  
  
One day, Severus had gotten the week off from work so we went to the Black Hills beings I also had a week off due to a fire that damaged the cafeteria and several of the classrooms. They had to repair the school, so the students got the week off. As we walked the Black Hills, Domino looked up to see a speck of light coming to Earth; I too, was watching it with expecting eyes. The speck grew larger and took the form of two ships, or what looked like ships. One was large and red; the other was too badly burned to see the color real well. Then with a huge crash, they made contact with the surface. The ground shook and people screamed at the sudden impact as the smoke and dust began to clear. I ran behind a large tree in order to transform.  
  
The red and gold outfit once again covered my body as I ran to the site were they hit. When we made it to the site, we came to huge crater about a mile wide and a half a mile deep. I looked over at Severus and said to him and Domino, "If I'm not back in 15 minutes.Just wait longer." And with that, I slid down the crater wall to the huge ships. They were buried in the ground pretty deep, the doors burst open. Cautiously, I stepped into the hull of the red ship, my breathe coming out rapid and hard. "HELLO!" I yelled into its depths. A pitiful and I mean pitiful scream echoed back to my head set, which also had the power to pick up far away sounds.  
  
Turning on my scanner, I was able to find humanoid activity to the right of me. Slowly I made my descent to the cockpit, which was I guessed I was going. I came to a familiar looking, lit, hallway. The small sobs coming to my ears grew louder until they became booming wails. The wailing grew so loud I had to turn my sound detector off in fear of my ears blowing up. But the noise continued to get louder along with yells of a young woman, yelling, "Shut up, Mihoshi! I bet the Royal Family of Jurai can hear you!" Mihoshi? I thought to myself as I continued to the cockpit, my ears close to bursting as I opened the door, only to me blasted back by the loud wailing.  
  
"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?" I yelled as the other girl put down a chair she was going to hit the other with. The blonde that had been wailing stopped and looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Thank you." I said relieved as I slumped on the floor.  
  
"Sorry about my partner wailing, but she can be a pain sometimes."  
  
"That's OK, don't worry about it." I replied, getting up and brushing myself off. "So, what brings you two to Earth?" They looked at me for a few seconds before the now calm blonde said  
  
"We were following the two pilots in front of us. When they entered Earth's atmosphere, we ran out of fuel and had no choice but to let Earth's gravity to pull us down." I nodded in understanding and introduced myself.  
  
"I am the Red Phoenix. My real identity is Erin Prazan. Welcome to Earth."  
  
"I'm Kiyone, and this is my partner Mihoshi. We're members of the Galaxy Police. It's pleasure to meet you Erin." I shook both of their hands and offered to help them out of their ship. It looked like they weren't going anywhere for a while. As we headed out, I told them what I did on Earth and how I had my power. They listened intently as we exited. By the looks of things, Severus and the others were keeping all the Muggles away from the site as best they could. Mihoshi looked over to the other ship and started tugging on Kiyone's sleeve and pointed to the ship. "Do you think we should go see if they're alright?" Kiyone asked me as Mihoshi started for the ship. I nodded and we headed over, Kiyone and Mihoshi with their guns out. The door on the ship was still closed, so I kicked it in.  
  
* * *  
  
The pain was starting to leave my leg as we entered to find an unclean hallway filled with loot, food containers, pop cans, and old magazines. "Grief, it wouldn't hurt to do a little house cleaning once and awhile." I groaned as we picked our way through the garbage graveyard. We were able to find the cockpit practically hidden behind trash. I kicked it open as Kiyone took her gun out of safety. We slowly poked our heads in to find two women sitting at the controls, appearing to be unconscious. Kiyone and I walked forward and slowly shook their shoulders. "Hey are you guys OK?" I asked as Mihoshi covered our backs. Then, in an instant, the girl I was shaking grabbed me with immense strength, almost breaking my wrist. Kiyone screamed which let me know she too, had been caught.  
  
The girl holding me had white hair and yellow, cat like eyes. "HA! Trying to capture us while we were asleep were ya, well not today. We kill people younger then you sugar, so don't make any moves."  
  
"Well you ain't taking us neither, so there." I said as Kiyone struggled with her capture. I teleported from the woman's hands and came behind her.  
  
"Ryoko, watch out, behind you!" Yelled Kiyone's pink haired capture as I slammed my interlocked fists down hard on her head. She counterattacked with a fierce kick, fierce, but slow. I could have walked away from it.  
  
"You need to speed up with your attacks lady, it ain't getting you anywhere." And with that I punched her in the face. Ryoko stood up dazed as I landed another punch to her stomach. "Give up?" I asked as she squirmed on the floor.  
  
She threw up and nodded. "You're pretty strong, for a kid." She gasped as I helped her up. "Washu let the officer go. I think we're not going anywhere for a while." The pink haired girl let go of Kiyone and went to stand next to Ryoko. "I'm Ryoko, a famous space pirate. This is my partner, the famous mad scientist Washu." Washu elbowed her in the ribs after she said that.  
  
* * *  
  
I dragged all four of them to the hotel were we were staying. I said I would let them stay with us until they got their ships fixed. Thanks to Washu, we were able to get them back to Omaha. After a far few arguments, we were able to get a sleeping order together.  
  
Washu had rigged the empty closet at the foot on the basement stairs to lead to another dimension were she created a lab. She slept there. Severus was moved to my parents' bedroom beings he had been there the longest. Ryoko was to sleep on the hydabed downstairs in the basement. Mihoshi was sent to the room at the end of the hallway, and Kiyone was sent to the room next to mine.  
  
"Looks like we have a full house." I said to Domino as we fixed dinner one night.  
  
"Yep, it's kinda hard to believe how far we've gotten since last year, when you first got your power and everything." I nodded in agreement and looked out the window. The adventure here night be over, but the journey had just begun.  
  
"You something Domino." I said as I put the dishes away.  
  
"What is it Erin?"  
  
"Always keep this in mind for me." I said as she looked up at me with those baby blue eyes. "When you think you're the normal kid in school, you end up saving the world, and meeting the craziest people." 


End file.
